JSON Formatter & Validator
Format, validate, and minify JSON data instantly. Pretty-print JSON with 2-space indentation for readability, compress it for production, or check for syntax errors. All processing runs locally in your browser for maximum privacy and speed.
JSON Formatter & Validator
Paste your JSON below to format, minify, or validate it.
How JSON Formatting Works
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. Formatting JSON adds consistent indentation (2 spaces per level) and line breaks so that nested objects and arrays are visually structured.
Minification does the opposite: it strips all unnecessary whitespace and newlines, producing the most compact representation. This reduces payload size for API responses, configuration files, and data storage without changing the data itself.
Common Use Cases
- Debugging API responses — Pretty-print JSON returned from REST APIs to quickly understand the data structure.
- Validating configuration files — Check JSON config files (package.json, tsconfig.json, etc.) for syntax errors before deploying.
- Minifying for production — Compress JSON payloads to reduce bandwidth and improve loading performance.
- Formatting log output — Convert single-line JSON log entries into readable, indented format for easier troubleshooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is JSON formatting?
JSON formatting (or pretty-printing) adds consistent indentation and line breaks to JSON data, making it easier to read and debug. This tool uses 2-space indentation by default.
What does JSON minification do?
JSON minification removes all unnecessary whitespace, line breaks, and indentation from JSON data, reducing file size for faster network transmission and storage efficiency.
Is my JSON data secure?
Yes. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your JSON data is never uploaded to any server, ensuring complete privacy.
What JSON errors can this tool detect?
This tool detects syntax errors such as missing commas, unmatched brackets, invalid strings, trailing commas, and other structural issues. It reports the error type and position to help you fix problems quickly.