JSONvormingus

JSONvormingus is a conceptual framework for structuring, validating, and formatting JSON data to achieve consistency and interoperability across systems. It encompasses a declarative schema, a deterministic formatting rule set, and a reference implementation approach intended to reduce ambiguity and variability in JSON documents while preserving human readability.

The term is a portmanteau of JSON and vorming, drawing on Dutch for "formation" or "shaping." It emerged in developer communities in the early 2020s as a proposal for a shared practice rather than a formal standard, and it has been discussed in talks and code repositories across several programming languages.

Core principles include explicit, machine-checkable schemas; deterministic field ordering; consistent naming and typing; and a clear separation of data payload from metadata. The typical tooling suite consists of a JSONvormingus schema language (akin to JSON Schema), a formatter that enforces a stable key order and whitespace, and a validator with automatic error reporting. In practice, implementations aim to make JSON documents easier to parse, compare, and test across services.

Common use cases are API responses, configuration files, and data interchange between microservices where predictable structure and formatting speed up validation and downstream processing. Adoption has been uneven, with proponents citing improved interoperability and maintainability, while critics warn against over-prescriptive formats and rigidity.

Related topics include JSON, JSON Schema, and data formatting standards. As an informal concept, JSONvormingus continues to evolve through community discussions and experimental tooling.