ToolNest · Published 2026-09-24 · Updated 2026-09-24
How to format and validate JSON
Pretty-printing JSON is mundane until the payload contains a token. Running JSON.parse locally is the boring, correct default.
Beautify vs minify
Beautify adds indentation so you can read structure. Minify removes whitespace for a compact paste. Both fail if the input is not valid JSON — trailing commas and comments are not valid JSON.
Read the error
The message comes from the engine’s JSON parser. It usually points near the first problem, not every problem.
Questions
Will this sort keys?+
No. It preserves key order as parsed.