Question 1

Is my JSON uploaded anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. Formatting, minifying, and validating all happen with JavaScript's own JSON.parse/JSON.stringify, running entirely in your browser tab. Nothing you paste is ever sent to a server.

Question 2

Why does it say my JSON is invalid?

Accepted Answer

The formatter shows the exact line and column where parsing failed, taken directly from the error JavaScript's own parser raises. Common causes are trailing commas, single quotes instead of double quotes, or an unquoted key.

Question 3

Does it preserve key order?

Accepted Answer

Yes — formatting only re-indents your JSON, it doesn't sort or reorder keys. Object key order is preserved exactly as you typed it.

Question 4

Can I format really large JSON files?

Accepted Answer

Yes, formatting happens synchronously in your browser's own memory, so it's limited only by your device — there's no server-side file size cap because there's no server involved at all.

Question 5

What's the difference between format and minify?

Accepted Answer

Format (pretty-print) adds indentation and line breaks for readability. Minify strips all whitespace to produce the smallest possible payload for production use.

JSON Formatter & Validator

Frequently asked questions