Why Format JSON?
Improve readability, easier debugging, consistent style, better collaboration, catch errors visually.
Indentation Standards
2 spaces is most common. 4 spaces for better visibility. Never mix tabs and spaces. Be consistent.
Property Ordering
Alphabetical for configuration. Logical for schemas. Required fields first. Document your convention.
Naming Conventions
camelCase
JavaScript standard. firstName, lastName. Good for APIs consumed by JS.
snake_case
Python, Ruby style. first_name, last_name. Common in backend APIs.
kebab-case
Rare in JSON. More for URLs. first-name. Less common.
Whitespace Management
Beautified for development. Minified for production. Balance readability vs file size.
Array Formatting
Short arrays inline. Long arrays one item per line. Nested arrays with extra indent.
Object Formatting
Each property on new line. Nested objects indented. Empty objects: on one line.
Comments in JSON
Standard JSON doesn't support comments. Use JSON5 or JSONC for development. Remove for production.
Formatting Tools
Use our JSON Formatter - instant beautify, customizable indent, minify option.
Command Line
jq for formatting. Python json.tool. Prettier for projects.
Minification
Remove whitespace for production. Reduces file size 20-30%. Use our JSON Minifier.
Best Practices Summary
Consistent indentation, meaningful names, format before commit, minify for production, validate after format.