JSON Formatter

Q: What's the difference between Format and Minify?

Format adds indentation and line breaks to make JSON human-readable. Minify removes all whitespace to produce the most compact representation, which is what you typically want when sending JSON over a network or storing it in a database where size matters.

Format, minify, and validate JSON with a single click.

Input JSON

Output

What is a JSON Formatter?

A JSON formatter (also called a JSON pretty printer) takes raw or minified JSON and outputs it with proper indentation and line breaks, making it easy to read and inspect. It validates your input against the IETF RFC 8259 JSON specification and reports syntax errors so you can quickly locate and fix malformed data.

Developers use it to inspect API responses, debug webhook payloads, format configuration files, and minify JSON for production. Paste compact JSON from a network tab or log file and get an instantly readable, structured view — or switch to Minify to compact it back down for bandwidth efficiency.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Format and Minify?

Format adds indentation and line breaks to make JSON human-readable. Minify removes all whitespace to produce the most compact representation, which is what you typically want when sending JSON over a network or storing it in a database where size matters.

Is my JSON data sent to a server?

No. All formatting and validation happens in your browser using JavaScript's built-in JSON.parse() and JSON.stringify() functions. Your data never leaves your device.

What causes a "JSON parse error"?

Common causes: trailing commas after the last item in an object or array (valid in JavaScript but not JSON), single-quoted strings instead of double-quoted, unquoted property keys, or comments (JSON does not support comments). The validator will report the position of the first error.