JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that is widely used for storing and transmitting data between a server and a web application or between different systems. It is a text-based format that is easy for humans to read and write, and it is also easy for machines to parse and generate.
JSON represents data in a structured format using a collection of key-value pairs. Each key is a string, and each value can be a string, number, boolean, null, array, or another JSON object. Here's an example of a simple JSON object:
{
"name": "John Doe",
"age": 30,
"city": "New York"
}
In this example, "name", "age", and "city" are keys, and "John Doe", 30, and "New York" are the corresponding values. JSON objects can contain nested objects and arrays, allowing for the representation of complex data structures.
JSON is often used in web development to exchange data between a server and a client application. For example, an API (Application Programming Interface) may send data to a client in JSON format, and the client can parse that JSON data to access and use the information.
To parse and generate JSON data, most programming languages provide built-in functions or libraries. These tools allow developers to convert JSON data into native data structures in their programming language and vice versa.
Overall, JSON is a popular and widely supported format for storing and exchanging data due to its simplicity, readability, and interoperability across different programming languages and systems.