Compare two JSON documents

What it does

Example

{
  "id": 42,
  "role": "admin",
  "tags": ["a", "b"]
}

{
  "id": 42,
  "role": "editor",
  "tags": ["a", "b"]
}

Highlights

• Side-by-side panes with added, removed and modified lines marked
• Scrolling locked between the two documents
• Next and previous buttons step through every change
• Toggles for whitespace, key order and array ordering
• A parse error names which side is broken and where

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a text diff?

A text diff compares characters, so reindenting a file makes every line look changed. This compares parsed values, so formatting differences disappear.

Does key order count as a difference?

Not by default. JSON objects are unordered, so two objects with the same entries in a different order are equal. Turn the key-order toggle off if you need ordering compared.

How are arrays compared?

By position, since arrays are ordered in JSON. An element inserted at the front therefore shifts everything after it.

What if one side has invalid JSON?

The comparison stops and tells you which pane failed and at which line, so you can fix that side and compare again.

Are the two files uploaded?

No. Both are parsed and compared in your browser, which makes it usable for comparing two production responses.

Related tools

• JSON FormatterTwo-space indentation, key order untouched, undo still works.
• JSON ValidatorLine, column and reason for the first thing a parser rejects.
• JSON RepairTrailing commas, single quotes and bare keys, fixed and re-parsed.
• JSON to YAMLBlock-style YAML, two-space indent, keys in their original order.