JSON Formatter

Reading and fixing JSON faster

JSON from an API, a log file or a database export usually arrives as one long line. That is efficient for machines but almost impossible for people to scan. Formatting adds line breaks and indentation so you can see the structure at once: which objects sit inside which arrays, where a field is missing, and whether a value has the type you expected. It is the first step in most debugging sessions that involve an API.

This formatter parses the data before printing it again, so it doubles as a validator. If something is wrong, you get the line and column of the problem instead of a vague error. The usual causes are a trailing comma after the last item, a missing closing bracket, or single quotes copied from JavaScript code. Fix the reported spot and format again until the output appears cleanly.

Choose an indent that matches your project's style, two spaces, four spaces or tabs, so formatted snippets paste neatly into documentation and code reviews. Sorting keys alphabetically is helpful when you want to compare two responses by eye, though it changes the order the API sent. Because everything runs in your browser, it is safe to paste responses that contain customer data, internal IDs or access tokens, which you should never paste into an online tool that sends data to a server. When you are done, copy the result or use the minifier to turn it back into a compact single line. Formatting a response before sharing it in a bug report also makes it far easier for teammates to help.