7 Best Practices for Using JSON in Web Development

By JSONValidator.dev Team • 2025-07-04

1. Name Keys Consistently

Consistent key naming improves readability and reduces bugs, especially when sharing data across systems. Use lowerCamelCase or snake_case, and avoid spaces or special characters.

Choose one convention—like lowerCamelCase—and stick with it throughout your project.

// Consistent (good)
{
  "userId": 123,
  "firstName": "Alice"
}

// Inconsistent (avoid)
{
  "User_id": 123,
  "First Name": "Alice"
}

2. Avoid Deeply Nested Structures

While JSON supports nested objects and arrays, too much nesting can make data hard to process and maintain. Flatten where possible.

// Too deeply nested
{
  "company": {
    "department": {
      "team": {
        "member": { "name": "Bob" }
      }
    }
  }
}

// Prefer flatter
{
  "company": "Acme",
  "department": "Sales",
  "team": "A",
  "memberName": "Bob"
}

Deep nesting often signals that your data model could be simplified for easier querying and updates.

3. Use JSON for API Payloads

JSON is the standard for most REST and GraphQL APIs. Make sure your API responses and requests are well-structured, using predictable keys and data types.

Always return a consistent top-level object (not an array).
Include status codes and error messages as top-level fields.
Use plural nouns for lists (e.g., "users": []).

4. Keep JSON Human-Readable

Readable JSON makes debugging and collaboration much easier. Use indentation and line breaks, and sort keys if possible.

// Minified (hard to read)
{"id":1,"name":"Alice","roles":["admin","editor"]}

// Pretty-printed (easier)
{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Alice",
  "roles": [
    "admin",
    "editor"
  ]
}

5. Comments in JSON? (And How to Deal With Them)

Standard JSON does not support comments. If you need to annotate, use separate documentation or a pre-processing step.

Adding // comments in JSON will cause parsing errors! Use comments only in configuration formats that explicitly support them (like JSON5 or YAML).

6. Secure Sensitive Data

Never store passwords, secrets, or private keys in public JSON files or API responses. Always sanitize and validate input/output data.

Set up automated checks to catch sensitive data leaks before they reach production.

7. Use Tools to Automate Validation and Formatting

Automate as much as possible! Use online tools, editor plugins, or CI scripts to format, lint, and validate your JSON.

Use our online JSON validator for instant checks.
Try JSON Formatter for readable output.
Add a linter to your code editor to catch errors early.

Consistent validation and formatting reduces errors and helps teams work together seamlessly.

Conclusion

Following these best practices makes your JSON easier to use, safer, and more reliable—no matter the size of your project. Explore our suite of tools to make JSON work better for you!