What is JSON, How Does It Work, and What is it Used For?

[Eli]

JSON is a shorthand for JavaScript Object Notation. JSON is an open-standard file format that uses human-readable text to transmit serializable data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and array data types. It is a very common data format used for exchanging information between a client and a server, including as a replacement for XML in some AJAX-style systems. Currently, it has become a standard practice for various websites to easily share data asynchronously using JSON in addition to XML/RSS feeds.

JSON is a language-independent data format, formerly derived from JavaScript, but many modern programming languages today such as Python, Ruby, C#, and even software such as CURL "Client URL" include code to generate and parse JSON-format data. During browser-server communication, taking JavaScript as a case, any data stored as JavaScript objects can be converted into JSON, the JSON can then be sent to the server, and similarly, any JSON received from the server can be converted into JavaScript objects. The JSON format is text only and can easily be sent to and from a server. Here is Python JSON quick-start: