JSON Formatter
Paste raw JSON, get back a readable tree or a minified blob. Validates as you go, copy or download the result.
Pretty-printing is parsing in disguise
Every JSON formatter on the web does the same two-step: it runs JSON.parse on your input, then JSON.stringify with a chosen indentation. The interesting work is in the error message you get when parsing fails. Browsers ship excellent JSON parsers — the V8 engine in Chrome will point you at the exact character where the parse broke.
Minification is the reverse: parse, then stringify with no indentation. The result is the smallest JSON that re-parses to the same value. For wire payloads (REST responses, config blobs, log lines) this typically saves 30-60% of bytes versus pretty-printed JSON.
Keep in mind that JSON is a strict subset of JavaScript. Trailing commas, single quotes, and JavaScript-style comments are all invalid JSON and will fail to parse. If you have one of those, fix it first or use JSON5 (a separate tool).
How to use
- 1
Paste your JSON in the left pane.
Or type by hand — the editor is dark-themed and fixed-width.
- 2
Click Pretty.
Indent with 2 or 4 spaces (we default to 2, the React/Prettier convention).
- 3
Or click Minify.
Strips every byte that isn't needed for round-trip — perfect for embedding in URLs or log lines.
- 4
Read the error if any.
We bubble up the browser's parser error verbatim — usually accurate to the character.
- 5
Copy or sign in to download.
Copy works without sign-in; saving a .json file requires an account.
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