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JSON Formatter

Developer Tools

Format, beautify, and inspect JSON instantly. Pretty-print messy payloads, validate as you type, and explore deeply-nested objects in an expandable tree view — all without sending anything to a server.

Runs entirely in your browser
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About JSON Formatter

The JSON Formatter is the fastest way to make a compact API response readable, or to compact a pretty one back down for embedding in code or environment variables. It uses the browser's native `JSON.parse` and `JSON.stringify` so the output is byte-identical to what your runtime would produce — no quirky escaping, no opinionated reordering of keys.

When your input is large or deeply nested, switch to the Tree view to expand and collapse objects and arrays one node at a time. Errors show the line and column of the first problem with the standard parser's message, so you can fix the input in place rather than guessing. Everything happens in your browser, which means proprietary payloads, internal tokens, and customer data stay on your machine.

How to use

  1. 1

    Paste your JSON

    Drop your JSON into the editor on the left, or click the upload icon to load a .json file from disk.

  2. 2

    Pick an indent style

    Choose 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs. Toggle minify mode if you want everything on one line for embedding.

  3. 3

    Explore or copy

    Use the tree view to expand and collapse objects, or hit the Copy button to grab the formatted output for use elsewhere.

Examples

Beautify a minified API response

Compact JSON from an API call expands into something a human can actually read.

Input

{"id":1,"name":"Ada","skills":["math","cs"],"active":true}

Output

{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Ada",
  "skills": [
    "math",
    "cs"
  ],
  "active": true
}

Minify for embedding

Collapse pretty JSON back into a single line for embedding in code or env vars.

Input

{
  "ok": true,
  "items": [1, 2, 3]
}

Output

{"ok":true,"items":[1,2,3]}

Frequently asked questions

Does the JSON Formatter handle very large files?+

Yes — the tree view virtualizes large structures so even multi-megabyte JSON renders smoothly. Anything above 10MB will run noticeably slower but still works.

What happens if my JSON has a syntax error?+

The formatter highlights the exact line and column of the first error and shows a short explanation, so you can fix it in place.

Can it handle JSON with comments (JSONC)?+

Strict JSON doesn't allow comments, so they'll be flagged as errors. We'll add a JSONC mode in a future release.

Is my JSON sent anywhere?+

No. All parsing, validation, and formatting happens in your browser using the native JSON API. Your data never leaves your device.

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