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Thomas Chan
Thomas Chan

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5 JSON Tools That Will Save Your Time

#javascript #webdev #productivity

Working with JSON shouldn't feel like solving a puzzle every time. Yet here we are, copying and pasting malformed JSON into random online tools, squinting at nested objects, and manually counting brackets like it's 1999.

I've been there. After years of JSON-induced headaches, I've built a toolkit that actually makes sense. Here are the 5 tools that saved my sanity (and will probably save yours too).

🛠️ 1. JSONSwiss - Your New JSON Command Center

🔗 jsonswiss.com

This tool does everything. And I mean everything. The standout feature? A visual table editor that turns gnarly JSON into something you can actually work with.

Why it's awesome:

✅ Table view for complex JSON - Finally, a way to see your data that doesn't require a computer science degree

✅ 15+ format converters - JSON ↔ CSV, Excel, XML, YAML, you name it

✅ Code generators - Spits out classes for 13 programming languages

✅ Actually fast - Handles large files without your browser having a meltdown

Pro tip: Use the table editor when debugging API responses. Game changer for spotting data inconsistencies.

// This mess becomes a beautiful table 📊
{
  "users": [
    {"id": 1, "name": "John", "email": "john@example.com", "active": true},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Jane", "email": "jane@example.com", "active": false}
  ]
}
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📝 2. JSON Formatter & Validator - The No-BS Tool

🔗 jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com

Sometimes you just need to format JSON. No fancy features, no distractions. Just pure, clean formatting that works.

What makes it special:

✅ Instant formatting - Paste and go

✅ Clear error messages - Actually tells you what's wrong

✅ Clean interface - No ads, no clutter

✅ Multiple output styles - Pick your poison

Perfect for those "quickly validate this API response" moments.

🎲 3. JSON Generator - Fake Data That Doesn't Suck

🔗 json-generator.com

Need test data? Stop writing "John Doe" for the 100th time. This tool generates realistic fake data with simple templates.

The magic: 

// Template goes in...
[
  '{{repeat(5, 10)}}',
  {
    id: '{{index()}}',
    name: '{{firstName()}} {{surname()}}',
    email: '{{email()}}',
    company: '{{company()}}',
    salary: '{{integer(30000, 120000)}}'
  }
]

// Realistic data comes out! 🎉
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✅ Template-based generation - Handlebars-style syntax

✅ Tons of data types - Names, emails, addresses, dates, IPs...

✅ Bulk generation - Create thousands of records

✅ Live preview - See results as you type

Use case: Building a user dashboard? Generate 1000 realistic users in 30 seconds.

⚡ 4. jq - Terminal JSON Ninja Tool

🔗 jqlang.github.io/jq

If you live in the terminal, jq is your new best friend. Think of it as grep but for JSON.

Command-line magic: 

# Extract specific fields
curl -s api.github.com/users/octocat | jq '.name, .location'

# Filter arrays
cat users.json | jq '.[] | select(.age > 21)'

# Transform data
cat sales.json | jq 'group_by(.region) | map({region: .[0].region, total: map(.amount) | add})'
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✅ Blazing fast - Handles GB files like nothing

✅ Powerful queries - Filter, map, reduce, group

✅ Pipes perfectly - Plays nice with other CLI tools

✅ Zero dependencies - Single binary, works everywhere

Pro tip: Great for processing log files and API responses in scripts.

🌳 5. JSON Editor Online - Visual JSON Surgery

🔗 jsoneditoronline.org

When you need to edit JSON structure visually, this tool shines. The tree view makes complex nested objects manageable.

Visual editing superpowers:

✅ Tree + code views - Switch between visual and text editing

✅ Drag & drop - Rearrange JSON structure visually

✅ Type conversion - String ↔ number ↔ boolean with one click

✅ Search & replace - Find anything in large JSON files

Perfect for editing config files or cleaning up messy data structures.

🚀 My JSON Workflow Stack

Here's how I use these tools together:

Daily dev work: JSONSwiss (complex analysis) + JSON Formatter (quick validation)

Frontend testing: JSON Generator (test data) + JSON Editor (config editing)

Backend/DevOps: jq (log processing) + JSONSwiss (data analysis)

Team collaboration: JSONSwiss table view (non-devs can understand it!)

💡 Pro Tips That Actually Matter

  1. Bookmark them all - Keep these in your browser bookmarks bar
  2. Learn jq basics - 20 minutes of learning = hours of time saved
  3. Save your templates - Keep a library of JSON Generator templates
  4. Use combinations - Generate data → analyze with table view → export as needed

What's Missing?

These tools cover 95% of my JSON needs, but I'm always looking for better solutions. What JSON tools do you swear by? Drop them in the comments!

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