SQLite json_pretty() Function

Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the SQLite json_pretty() function to make JSON human-readable.

Introduction to the SQLite json_pretty() function #

The json_pretty() function works like the json() function but makes the JSON value prettier. This means that the json_pretty() function adds extra whitespace to make the JSON value more human-readable.

Note that SQLite added the json_pretty() function since version 3.46.0 on May 23, 2024.

Here’s the syntax of the json_pretty() function:

json_pretty(json_value, format)

In this syntax:

json_value is a valid JSON value to format.
format is an optional argument used for indentation. If you omit the second argument or use NULL, the function will use four spaces to indent each level.

SQLite json_pretty() function examples #

The following example uses the json_pretty() function to format a JSON value:

SELECT json_pretty('{"name": "Alice"     ,"age" : 25 , "address": {"street": "101 N 1st Street", "city": "San Jose"} }');

Output:

{
    "name": "Alice",
    "age": 25,
    "address": {
        "street": "101 N 1st Street",
        "city": "San Jose"
    }
}

In this example, we do not use the second argument, the indentation is four spaces per level.

Like the json() function, the json_pretty function validates the JSON value before formatting it:

SELECT json_pretty('{"name": "Alice" "age" : 25}');

Output:

Runtime error: malformed JSON

If you want the indentation to be one space per level, you can pass a space character to the second argument of the json_pretty() function like this:

SELECT json_pretty('{"name": "Alice"     ,"age" : 25 , "address": {"street": "101 N 1st Street", "city": "San Jose"} }',' ');

Output:

{
 "name": "Alice",
 "age": 25,
 "address": {
  "street": "101 N 1st Street",
  "city": "San Jose"
 }
}

Summary #

Use SQLite json_pretty() function to make a JSON value prettier by formatting it to make it more human-readable.

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