JSONformat

JSONformat is a proposed extension to the JSON data interchange format that adds optional metadata, explicit typing hints, and human-friendly formatting while remaining compatible with existing JSON tooling. It aims to preserve JSON’s portability while enabling richer data descriptions and evolution.

The design keeps the core JSON syntax intact and uses an optional metadata wrapper or reserved keys to surface extra information. A typical structure uses a top-level object with a data field containing standard JSON data and an optional meta field containing schema references, versioning, and annotations. Implementations that merely parse the data can ignore the metadata, preserving compatibility with existing JSON parsers.

Key features of JSONformat include optional type annotations, schema references through a $schema identifier, comments via a $comment field, and formatting controls such as a $pretty flag to request indentation. It may also support binary data encoding using base64 and a compact encoding option for efficient network transmission. The approach is designed to be extensible, allowing additional metadata without changing the fundamental data layer.

Adoption of JSONformat remains experimental, with various implementations and proposals but no single universally ratified standard. It is discussed in academic and industry forums as a means to enable more robust configuration files and API contracts while preserving JSON’s core interoperability.

See also: JSON, JSON Schema, JSON5, YAML.