JSONFormate

JSONFormate is a proposed JSON-based data interchange format intended to provide a deterministic and machine-friendly representation of JSON data. It seeks to supplement the standard JSON encoding by establishing rules that produce stable serialized output across implementations, aiding diffing, caching, and streaming processes.

Its core ideas include lexicographically sorted object keys, a canonical whitespace policy, and support for multiple formatting modes such as compact form, a consistently pretty-printed form, and line-delimited streaming where each JSONFormate unit is a separate line. In a serialized JSONFormate document, objects have their keys ordered in ascending lexical order, while values follow standard JSON types. Optional metadata fields may be included to describe schema, provenance, or processing context, and parsers that do not recognize these fields may ignore them.

Status and adoption: The term JSONFormate has appeared in discussions and some experimental tooling, but there is no formal standard ratified by major standards bodies. Implementations exist as libraries or converters that translate between JSON and JSONFormate representations, or that emit JSONFormate directly in specific environments. Adoption tends to be limited to workflows requiring reproducibility, auditable logs, or line-oriented data streams.

Evaluation: Proponents cite improved diffability and deterministic behavior; critics point to added complexity and potential compatibility challenges with existing JSON tooling and data stores. As a result, JSONFormate remains exploratory rather than a widely adopted standard.

See also: JSON, JSON Lines, canonical JSON.