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JSON Formatting for Developers

Invalid JSON breaks APIs silently. This guide covers validation, pretty-printing, and production tips.

Common JSON errors

• Trailing commas after the last array or object item
• Single quotes instead of double quotes for strings
• Unescaped newlines inside string values
• Comments — standard JSON does not allow // comments

Pretty print vs minify

Use pretty print (indentation) when debugging in browser devtools or sharing samples in documentation. Minify before embedding JSON in HTML or SMS-sized payloads to save bytes.

Try the formatter

Paste API responses into our JSON Formatter to catch syntax errors instantly. Pair it with the Base64 tool when debugging encoded webhook bodies.

Open JSON Formatter