JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format

A JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format is a lightweight text-based data interchange format that represents structured data using human-readable text with key-value pairs and ordered lists derived from JavaScript object literal syntax.

• AKA: JSON, JSON Format, JSON Data Format, JavaScript Object Notation, JSON Data Interchange Format, .JSON Format.
• Context:
  • It can typically encode data structures including objects (unordered sets of name-value pairs) and arrays (ordered collections of values).
  • It can typically support primitive data types including strings, numbers, booleans, and null values.
  • It can typically facilitate data exchange between web applications and servers through REST APIs.
  • It can often serve as configuration file format for software applications and development tools.
  • It can often provide language-independent specification with parsers available for virtually all programming languages.
  • It can often enable NoSQL database storage in document-oriented databases like MongoDB and CouchDB.
  • It can utilize RFC 8259 as the official standard specification defining JSON syntax rules.
  • It can employ UTF-8 encoding as the default character encoding for maximum compatibility.
  • It can support schema validation through JSON Schema for data structure verification.
  • It can enable streaming parsing through JSON streaming formats like JSONL and JSON Text Sequences.
  • It can range from being a Simple JSON Format to being a Complex Nested JSON Format, depending on its structure depth.
  • It can range from being a Strict JSON Format to being a Relaxed JSON Format, depending on its syntax compliance.
  • It can integrate with web technology stacks through JavaScript native support and AJAX communication.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • JSON Application Domains, such as:
    • Web API JSON, for RESTful service communication.
    • Configuration JSON, for application settings and deployment configurations.
    • Package.json, for Node.js project metadata and dependency management.
    • NoSQL Document JSON, for document database storage.
    • GeoJSON, for geographic data representation.
  • JSON Extension Formats, such as:
    • JSON-LD (JSON for Linked Data), adding semantic web capabilities.
    • JSON Schema, providing data validation rules and documentation.
    • JSON-RPC, enabling remote procedure call protocol.
    • JSON Web Token (JWT), for secure information transmission.
    • JSON API, specifying REST API conventions.
  • JSON Processing Tools, such as:
    • jq Command-Line Processor, for JSON data transformation.
    • JSON.parse() and JSON.stringify(), JavaScript built-in methods.
    • Jackson Library, for Java JSON processing.
    • Python json Module, for Python JSON handling.
    • Newtonsoft.Json, for .NET JSON processing.
  • JSON Features, such as:
    • JSON Object, representing unordered collections of key-value pairs.
    • JSON Array, containing ordered value lists.
    • JSON String, enclosed in double quotes with escape sequence support.
    • JSON Number, supporting integers and floating-point values.
    • JSON Boolean, with true and false values.
    • JSON Null, representing absence of value.
  • JSON Use Cases, such as:
    • AJAX Data Exchange, replacing XML in web applications.
    • Mobile App Backend Communication, for lightweight data transfer.
    • Microservice Communication, in distributed system architectures.
    • IoT Device Messaging, for constrained device communication.
    • Log File Storage, for structured logging.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • XML (eXtensible Markup Language), which uses tag-based syntax with attributes and namespaces.
  • YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language), which uses indentation-based structure and additional data types.
  • TOML (Tom's Obvious Minimal Language), which emphasizes configuration readability.
  • Protocol Buffers, which uses binary serialization for efficiency.
  • MessagePack, which provides binary JSON-like format.
  • CSV Format, which uses tabular structure rather than hierarchical nesting.
  • INI File Format, which uses section-based configuration structure.
• See: Data Interchange Format, JavaScript, AJAX, JSON Encoder, JSON Parser, REST API, Web Service, NoSQL Database, JSON Schema, JSON-LD, Data Serialization Format, Douglas Crockford.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON Retrieved:2024-12-13.
  • QUOTE: JSON (JavaScript Object Notation, pronounced /ˈdʒeɪsən/ or /ˈdʒeɪˌsɒn/) is an open standard file format and data interchange format that uses human-readable text to store and transmit data objects consisting of name–value pairs and arrays (or other serializable values). It is a commonly used data format with diverse uses in electronic data interchange, including that of web applications with servers. JSON is a language-independent data format. It was derived from JavaScript, but many modern programming languages include code to generate and parse JSON-format data. JSON filenames use the extension .json. Douglas Crockford originally specified the JSON format in the early 2000s. He and Chip Morningstar sent the first JSON message in April 2001.

2017

• (RFC 8259, 2017) ⇒ T. Bray, Ed. (2017). "The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format." RFC 8259, Internet Engineering Task Force. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8259
  • QUOTE: JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data interchange format. It was derived from the ECMAScript Programming Language Standard. JSON defines a small set of formatting rules for the portable representation of structured data. This document removes inconsistencies with other specifications of JSON, repairs specification errors, and offers experience-based interoperability guidance.

2013

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON
  • JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a text-based open standard designed for human-readable data interchange. It is derived from the JavaScript scripting language for representing simple data structures and associative arrays, called objects. Despite its relationship to JavaScript, it is language-independent, with parsers available for many languages.

    The JSON format was originally specified by Douglas Crockford, and is described in RFC 4627. The official Internet media type for JSON is application/json. The JSON filename extension is .json.

    The JSON format is often used for serializing and transmitting structured data over a network connection. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, serving as an alternative to XML.

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