json
"hello"Notes
Strings must use double quotes in standard JSON.
JSON Types and Values
Examples and edge cases for strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, and objects in JSON.
Export
Copy the compact sheet, download it, or print it.
Download
`D` dense toggle · `C` copy all
Primitive values
JSON has a small, fixed set of primitive value types.
json
123.45Notes
JSON has a single number type; parsers may map it differently by language.
json
trueNotes
`True` and `False` are invalid in JSON.
json
nullNotes
Useful for partial updates, missing values, and API responses.
json
{
"enabled": false,
"nickname": null
}Notes
`false` means the feature is disabled. `null` means there is no value.
Number gotchas
Common JSON number formats that trip people up.
json
{
"count": 7
}Notes
`007` is invalid JSON.
json
{
"distance": 1.23e6
}Notes
Useful for large or very small numeric values.
json
{
"value": 0
}Notes
Some JavaScript values do not serialize into standard JSON as raw literals.
bash
jq 'type' <<< '123'Notes
Helpful when checking how a parser sees a value after serialization.
String gotchas
Escapes, Unicode, and practical string examples.
Escape quotes inside strings
Use backslash to include literal double quotes.
jsonANYjsonstringescape
json
{
"message": "She said \"hello\""
}Notes
Unescaped double quotes end the string and break parsing.
Use escape sequences for control characters
Encode newlines and tabs inside strings.
jsonANYjsonstringnewlinetab
json
{
"text": "line 1
line 2\tindented"
}Notes
Use escaped characters rather than raw line breaks inside a JSON string.
json
{
"currency": "\u20AC"
}Notes
`€` represents the euro symbol.
More in JSON
JSONL and NDJSON
Newline-delimited JSON patterns for logs, streams, ETL, and large-file processing workflows.
JSON API Payload Patterns
Reusable JSON payload shapes for APIs: envelopes, pagination, errors, metadata, partial updates, and event-style messages.
JSON Schema Validation
Practical JSON Schema examples for required fields, types, enums, arrays, nested objects, and validation workflows.
JSON Formatting, Minifying, and Pretty-Printing
Commands and patterns for compact JSON, human-readable formatting, stable sorting, and terminal-friendly inspection.
JSON Validation and Common Errors
How to validate JSON, spot parse failures, repair common mistakes, and debug malformed payloads quickly.
JSON Escaping and Encoding
Escape sequences, Unicode, URLs, embedded JSON strings, and encoding pitfalls when storing or transporting JSON.