Getting Started with JSON Formatter & Viewer

Welcome to the comprehensive tutorial for JSON Formatter & Viewer! This powerful online tool helps you format, validate, and visualize JSON data with ease. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide will help you make the most of all the features available.

1

Access the Tool

Navigate to the JSON Formatter & Viewer main page. The tool loads instantly in your browser without any installation required.

2

Familiarize with the Interface

The interface consists of three main sections:

  • Toolbar: Contains all the action buttons and controls
  • Editor Panels: Input area (left) and output area (right)
  • JSON Viewer: Tree and table view options for visualization
3

Prepare Your JSON

Have your JSON data ready. You can:

  • Copy JSON from your code editor
  • Export JSON from an API response
  • Create JSON manually
  • Use sample JSON for testing

Basic Usage

1. Formatting JSON

Step 1: Input JSON

Paste your raw JSON into the left input panel. The tool accepts JSON in any format - minified, partially formatted, or even with syntax errors.

Example Input (Minified JSON):
{"name":"John Doe","age":30,"city":"New York","skills":["JavaScript","Python","React"]}

Step 2: Click Format

Click the "Format JSON" button in the toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + F.

The tool will automatically:

  • Add proper indentation (2 spaces by default)
  • Apply syntax highlighting
  • Validate the JSON structure
  • Display any errors if found

Step 3: View Formatted Result

The formatted JSON appears in the right output panel with beautiful syntax highlighting.

Formatted Output:
{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "age": 30,
  "city": "New York",
  "skills": [
    "JavaScript",
    "Python",
    "React"
  ]
}

2. Validating JSON

The tool automatically validates your JSON when formatting, but you can also manually validate using the "Validate" button or Ctrl + Shift + V.

Validation Checks:

  • Syntax Errors: Missing brackets, commas, or quotes
  • Data Types: Invalid number formats or string escapes
  • Structure: Proper nesting and array/object definitions
  • Encoding: Character encoding issues

3. Minifying JSON

To create a compact version of your JSON for production use:

  1. Input your formatted JSON
  2. Click the "Minify" button or use Ctrl + Shift + M
  3. The minified version removes all whitespace and formatting

Advanced Features

Search and Filter

Quickly find specific values or keys within your JSON data using the search functionality. The tool highlights matches and shows the navigation path to each result.

  • Real-time search as you type
  • Case-insensitive matching
  • Navigation through multiple results
  • Path display for each match

Copy and Export

Easily copy formatted JSON to your clipboard or download it as a file for later use.

  • One-click copy to clipboard
  • Download as .json file
  • Share via URL with encoded JSON
  • Preserve formatting when copying

File Upload

Upload JSON files directly by dragging and dropping or using the file selector.

  • Drag and drop support
  • Multiple file format support
  • Automatic file reading
  • Large file handling

Undo/Redo

Maintain a history of your changes with full undo/redo functionality.

  • 50-level undo history
  • Keyboard shortcuts support
  • Persistent across sessions
  • Visual history indicators

Tree View

The Tree View provides a hierarchical visualization of your JSON data, making it easy to understand complex nested structures.

Tree View Features

Expandable Nodes

Click the arrow icons to expand or collapse nested objects and arrays. Use "Expand All" or "Collapse All" buttons for bulk operations.

Type Information

Each node displays its data type (string, number, boolean, etc.) and the count of child elements for arrays and objects.

Bracket Matching

Click on any bracket to highlight its matching pair, making it easy to navigate complex nested structures.

Path Navigation

The full path to each element is displayed, helping you understand the data structure and locate specific values.

Navigation Tips

  • Expand/Collapse: Click the triangle icons or use arrow keys
  • Select Node: Click on any value to highlight it
  • Keyboard Navigation: Use arrow keys to navigate between nodes
  • Context Menu: Right-click for additional options (coming soon)

Table View

The Table View presents your JSON data in a tabular format, which is particularly useful for analyzing array data and key-value pairs.

Table View Features

Key Column

Displays the property name or array index for each value.

Value Column

Shows the actual data value with appropriate formatting and syntax highlighting.

Type Column

Indicates the data type (string, number, boolean, object, array, null).

Path Column

Displays the full navigation path to access this value in the JSON structure.

Using Table View

  1. Switch to Table View using the toggle button in the toolbar
  2. Browse through the tabular representation of your data
  3. Use the search functionality to filter specific rows
  4. Click on values to copy them to clipboard
  5. Sort columns by clicking on column headers (coming soon)

JSON Validation

The tool provides comprehensive JSON validation with detailed error reporting to help you identify and fix issues quickly.

Types of Validation

Syntax Errors

Detects missing brackets, commas, quotes, and other syntax issues with precise line and column information.

Number Format

Validates number formats, including floating-point numbers, scientific notation, and edge cases like Infinity.

String Escapes

Checks for valid escape sequences in strings and identifies any invalid character combinations.

Structure

Ensures proper nesting of objects and arrays, and validates that the overall structure is well-formed.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master these keyboard shortcuts to work more efficiently with JSON Formatter & Viewer:

Shortcut Action Description
Ctrl + Shift + F Format JSON Format the input JSON with proper indentation
Ctrl + Shift + V Validate JSON Validate the JSON structure and syntax
Ctrl + Shift + M Minify JSON Create a compact version of the JSON
Ctrl + C Copy Selected Copy selected text to clipboard
Ctrl + F Search Focus on the search input field
Ctrl + Z Undo Undo the last change
Ctrl + Y Redo Redo the previously undone change

Tips & Tricks

Performance Tips

  • For large JSON files (>1MB), consider using the minify option first
  • Disable syntax highlighting temporarily for very large files
  • Use the search function to quickly navigate large datasets
  • The tree view may be slower for extremely large files - use table view instead

Productivity Tips

  • Learn the keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow
  • Use the undo/redo functionality to experiment safely
  • Bookmark frequently used JSON structures as templates
  • Use the share feature to collaborate with team members

Practical Examples

Example 1: User Profile

A typical user profile JSON with nested objects and arrays:

{
  "id": 12345,
  "username": "johndoe",
  "profile": {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "email": "john.doe@example.com",
    "isActive": true
  }
}