JSONachtig

JSONachtig is a term used in Dutch-speaking computing communities to describe data representations that resemble JSON but are not strictly valid JSON. The word combines JSON with the Dutch suffix -achtig, meaning “like” or “resembling,” and is used to refer to formats that adopt JSON-like syntax while relaxing some restrictions.

Typical characteristics of JSONachtig data include features that are common in JSON but not allowed in strict JSON, such as comments, trailing commas, or unquoted keys in some variants. Variants may also allow single-quoted strings or multi-line strings. These extensions are often inspired by formats like JSON5 or HJSON and are designed to improve human readability or ease of editing, especially in configuration files or development tooling.

In practice, JSONachtig data is popular for configuration files, developer tools, and internal pipelines where strict JSON would be too verbose or brittle. Because the syntax is not valid JSON, such data usually requires a tolerant parser or a preprocessor that converts it to strict JSON before interchange with other systems. This can affect interoperability, so teams often document the specific variant they use and provide a conversion step to standard JSON for external interfaces.

Examples of JSONachtig usage include configuration files that include comments and trailing commas, or internal data formats that permit unquoted property names. While convenient in local contexts, JSONachtig formats should be treated as non-portable outside of trusted environments, or be converted to valid JSON for broader compatibility.