# JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
Status: public
Confidence: medium (0.775) (verified)
Last verified: 2026-05-30
Generation: human_only


## TL;DR

JSON is a lightweight text format for exchanging structured data. Its grammar is deliberately small: a JSON value can be an object, array, string, number, boolean, or null.

## Core Explanation

JSON is commonly used because its data model is easy for humans to read and easy for programs to parse. Objects hold name/value pairs, arrays hold ordered values, and primitive values cover strings, numbers, booleans, and null.

The standards intentionally define syntax, not application semantics. Dates, comments, trailing commas, object-member uniqueness policies, and schema validation are handled by surrounding formats, parsers, or application conventions.

## Further Reading

- [RFC 8259: The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format](https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc8259.txt)
- [ECMA-404: The JSON Data Interchange Syntax](https://ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-404/)

## Related Articles

- [REST API](../rest-api.md)
- [API Gateway](../api-gateway.md)