JSON Examples

Q: What is the simplest valid JSON?

The simplest valid JSON is a single primitive value. All of these are complete, valid JSON documents: "hello" (a string), 42 (a number), true or false (booleans), null. An empty object {} and an empty array [] are also valid. A JSON document does not have to be an object — any JSON value at the top level is valid. In practice, most APIs exchange JSON objects {} or arrays [] as the top-level value, but the specification allows any JSON value as a complete document. The string "hello" with double quotes is valid JSON; the unquoted word hello is not.

Q: What does a JSON API response typically look like?

A typical REST API response is a JSON object with a status field, a data field containing the actual payload, and optionally metadata like pagination or request IDs: {"status": "success", "data": {"id": 42, "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com"}, "meta": {"requestId": "abc-123"}}. For lists of items, the data field is an array: {"data": [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"}], "pagination": {"page": 1, "total": 50}}. Error responses typically include a status, code, and message: {"status": "error", "code": 404, "message": "User not found"}.

Q: How do I represent a list of users in JSON?

Use an array of objects, where each object represents one user: [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com", "role": "admin"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "email": "bob@example.com", "role": "user"}]. If the list is part of a larger response, nest it under a key: {"users": [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"}], "total": 2}. Each user object should include all the fields needed by the consumer. For large user lists, add pagination metadata: page, perPage, total, and hasNext fields alongside the data array.

Q: What is JSON for a product catalog?

A product catalog in JSON typically uses an array of product objects, each with fields like id, name, price, category, and availability: {"products": [{"id": "SKU-001", "name": "Wireless Headphones", "price": 79.99, "currency": "USD", "category": "electronics", "inStock": true, "tags": ["audio", "wireless"]}, {"id": "SKU-002", "name": "Notebook", "price": 4.99, "currency": "USD", "category": "stationery", "inStock": true, "tags": ["writing"]}], "total": 2, "page": 1}. Include a consistent price representation (number with currency field, or string in a fixed format) and avoid mixing price formats within the same catalog.

Q: How do I represent nested addresses in JSON?

Nest address data as an object within the parent record: {"user": {"name": "Alice", "billingAddress": {"street": "123 Main St", "city": "New York", "state": "NY", "zip": "10001", "country": "US"}, "shippingAddress": {"street": "456 Oak Ave", "city": "Brooklyn", "state": "NY", "zip": "11201", "country": "US"}}}. For APIs that reuse the same address shape in multiple places, define a consistent address schema and always include the same fields (even if some are null) to make processing predictable. Include a country code so the address can be formatted correctly for different regions.

Q: What does an empty JSON object look like?

An empty JSON object is {}. It is valid JSON containing no key-value pairs. An empty JSON array is []. Both are commonly used as default or placeholder values in APIs — for example, an empty metadata object {} signals that no metadata is present, without the field being null or absent. In JavaScript, JSON.parse("{}") returns an empty object and Object.keys({}).length === 0 confirms it is empty. In Python, json.loads("{}") returns an empty dict and len({}) === 0. Empty objects and arrays are semantically different from null: null means absence of a value, while {} means an empty collection.

Last updated: May 11, 2026

JSON supports exactly 6 data types: string, number, boolean (true/false), null, array, and object. All 6 are defined in RFC 8259 and ECMA-404. A flat key-value object like {"name": "Alice", "age": 30} is the most common API shape, while arrays of objects handle lists of 1–10,000+ records. This page covers 12 canonical patterns with copy-paste examples: flat objects, arrays of objects, nested structures up to 4 levels, mixed arrays, pagination envelopes with total and page fields, error responses with HTTP status codes, date strings in ISO 8601 format, null vs absent fields, empty objects and arrays, and real-world API response shapes from REST endpoints.

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Simple JSON object

A JSON object is a collection of key-value pairs enclosed in curly braces. Keys must be strings (double-quoted). Values can be any JSON data type.

{
  "name": "Alice",
  "age": 30,
  "email": "alice@example.com"
}

All JSON data types

{
  "string":  "Hello, world!",
  "integer": 42,
  "float":   3.14159,
  "boolean_true":  true,
  "boolean_false": false,
  "null_value":    null,
  "array":   [1, 2, 3],
  "object":  { "key": "value" }
}

JSON array

Arrays are ordered lists enclosed in square brackets:

["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

[true, false, null, 42, "mixed"]

Array of objects

The most common JSON pattern in APIs — a list of records:

[
  { "id": 1, "name": "Alice", "role": "admin" },
  { "id": 2, "name": "Bob",   "role": "user"  },
  { "id": 3, "name": "Carol", "role": "user"  }
]

Nested JSON object

Objects can contain other objects and arrays at any depth:

{
  "user": {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "Alice",
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "New York",
      "country": "US",
      "zip": "10001"
    },
    "tags": ["developer", "admin"]
  }
}

Typical REST API response

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "id": 42,
    "title": "Getting Started with JSON",
    "author": {
      "id": 7,
      "name": "Alice Smith"
    },
    "tags": ["json", "tutorial", "beginner"],
    "published": true,
    "views": 15420,
    "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "abc-123",
    "duration": 12
  }
}

Paginated API response

{
  "data": [
    { "id": 1, "name": "Alice" },
    { "id": 2, "name": "Bob" }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "perPage": 20,
    "total": 157,
    "totalPages": 8,
    "hasNext": true,
    "hasPrev": false
  }
}

Error response

{
  "status": "error",
  "code": 404,
  "message": "User not found",
  "details": {
    "field": "userId",
    "value": 999
  }
}

Configuration file (package.json style)

{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "A sample application",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "test": "jest",
    "build": "webpack"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.2",
    "lodash": "^4.17.21"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "jest": "^29.0.0"
  }
}

GeoJSON example

GeoJSON is a standard JSON format for geographic data:

{
  "type": "Feature",
  "geometry": {
    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [-74.0060, 40.7128]
  },
  "properties": {
    "name": "New York City",
    "population": 8336817
  }
}

JSON with special string values

{
  "escaped_quote": "He said \"hello\"",
  "backslash":     "C:\\Users\\Alice",
  "newline":       "Line 1\nLine 2",
  "tab":           "col1\tcol2",
  "unicode":       "\u00e9l\u00e8ve",
  "emoji":         "Hello \uD83D\uDE00"
}

JSON rules to remember

Keys must be double-quoted strings — not single quotes
No trailing commas after the last item in an object or array
No comments — JSON does not support // or /* */ comments
Numbers must not have leading zeros (except 0.5)
NaN and Infinity are not valid JSON values

Validate and format your JSON

Use the JSON Formatter to validate and pretty-print your JSON, or the JSON Schema Validator to enforce a specific structure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the simplest valid JSON?

Any single JSON value is a complete valid document: "hello", 42, true, null, {}, or []. Most APIs use objects or arrays at the top level, but the spec allows any value.

What does a JSON API response typically look like?

A REST API response typically wraps data in an object with a status field, a data field (object or array), and optional meta or pagination. Error responses include status, code, and message.

How do I represent a list of users in JSON?

Use an array of user objects: [{"{"}"id": 1, "name": "Alice"{"}"}, {"{"}"id": 2, "name": "Bob"{"}"}]. For paginated APIs, wrap the array in an object with a users key and add total, page, and hasNext fields.

What is JSON for a product catalog?

An array of product objects each with id, name, price, category, inStock, and optional tags. Use a consistent price format (number + currency field) and include the same fields in every product for predictable processing.

How do I represent nested addresses in JSON?

Nest address data as an object with consistent fields: street, city, state, zip, country. For entities with multiple addresses (billing/shipping), use separate named keys for each address object.

What does an empty JSON object look like?

An empty JSON object is {} and an empty array is []. Both are valid JSON. An empty object is semantically different from null — it signals an empty collection rather than the absence of a value.