JSON is great for computers. It is terrible for humans.
If you have ever written a config file by hand, you know the pain:
You forget one comma, and the whole file breaks.
You want to leave a comment to explain a setting, but JSON doesn't allow it.
You have to put quotes around every single word.
I got so annoyed with it that I built a new format called JASD (Just Another Static Database). It keeps the bracket structure of JSON, but removes the annoying rules.
What does it look like?
Instead of this:
{
"name": "Cyberpunk 2077",
"price": 60,
"tags": ["RPG", "Sci-Fi"]
}
You write this:
JASD-V1
[
{
name: Cyberpunk 2077
price: 60
tags: [RPG, Sci-Fi]
-- This is a native comment
}
]
Why I built an entire ecosystem around it
I didn't just build a parser. I built a full toolkit for it:
A Python Library: You can do pip install jasd and use it just like the standard json library. It even has built-in SQL-style querying (jasd.query(data, "price > 50")).
A Web Engine: I wrote a tiny JavaScript parser so web browsers can read .jasd files instantly.
A Go CLI: I compiled a standalone Windows executable with a beautiful terminal UI for viewing, formatting, and compiling data.
Editor Support: You can install syntax highlighting for VS Code, Pulsar, and Vim with a single command (jasd-setup install).
Try it out
If you hate writing JSON by hand as much as I do, you can check out the docs here
You can install the Python package right now:
pip install jasd
I'm a self-taught developer building this on an old PC. If you have any feedback, or if you want to add a feature, lmk.
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