Working with JSON

What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the standard format for APIs and data exchange. Python's json module makes parsing trivial.

JSON Data Types Map to Python

Parsing JSON (Strings → Python Objects)

import json

json_str = '{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}'
data = json.loads(json_str)  # loads = "load from string"
print(data["name"])  # Alice

Converting Python → JSON (Objects → Strings)

python_dict = {"status": "success", "code": 200}
json_str = json.dumps(python_dict)  # dumps = "dump to string"

File Operations

# Read JSON from file
with open("data.json") as f:
    data = json.load(f)  # singular: load from file

# Write JSON to file
with open("output.json", "w") as f:
    json.dump(data, f, indent=2)  # pretty-print with indent