Developer Glossary
Your complete guide to understanding the key concepts in data formats and web development.
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JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
A lightweight, text-based data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and for machines to parse and generate.
JSON Object
An unordered collection of key/value pairs, enclosed in curly braces {}. Each key must be a string and is followed by a colon.
JSON Array
An ordered collection of values, enclosed in square brackets []. Values are comma-separated and can be of any valid JSON type.
JSON Key
A string enclosed in double quotes that serves as the identifier for a value within a JSON object.
JSON Value
The data associated with a key in a JSON object or an element in an array. It can be a string, number, boolean, object, array, or null.
JSON String
A sequence of zero or more Unicode characters, enclosed in double quotes (").
JSON Number
A numeric value that can be an integer or a floating-point number. It is not enclosed in quotes.
JSON Boolean
A logical value that can only be true or false. These literals are not enclosed in quotes.
JSON Null
An empty value, represented by the literal null. It is used to indicate the intentional absence of any value.
JSON Parsing
The process of converting a JSON-formatted string into a native data structure (like an object or array) that can be used by a programming language.
JSON Serialization
The process of converting a native data structure (like an object or array) into a JSON-formatted string so it can be transmitted or stored.
JSON Schema
A vocabulary that allows you to annotate and validate JSON documents, ensuring the data conforms to a specific structure and set of rules.
JSONPath
A query language, similar to XPath for XML, used to select and extract specific parts of a JSON document.
JSON Validation
The process of checking a JSON document against a set of rules (often a JSON Schema) to ensure it is both well-formed and structurally correct.
JSON Syntax Error
An error that occurs when a JSON document does not follow the strict grammatical rules of the JSON format.
JWT (JSON Web Token)
A compact, URL-safe means of representing claims to be transferred between two parties, commonly used for authentication and authorization.
JSON-LD (JSON for Linked Data)
A method of encoding Linked Data using JSON. It is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation.
JSON Lines (or NDJSON)
A format for storing structured data where each line is a separate, valid JSON value. Also known as newline-delimited JSON (NDJSON).