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JSON vs CSV

Comparing JavaScript Object Notation and Comma-Separated Values - which format should you use?

	JSON	CSV
Full Name	JavaScript Object Notation	Comma-Separated Values
Extension	.json	.csv
MIME Type	application/json	text/csv
Category	data	data

JSON Pros

+Human-readable and writable
+Native support in every programming language
+Lightweight and fast to parse
+The standard for web APIs

JSON Cons

-No comments allowed in standard JSON
-No date type (dates stored as strings)
-No support for binary data
-Large files with deeply nested structures

CSV Pros

+Universally compatible
+Human-readable plain text
+Tiny file sizes
+Easy to generate and parse programmatically

CSV Cons

-No data type information (everything is text)
-No standard for encoding or escaping
-No support for hierarchical data
-No formatting, formulas, or multiple sheets

Use JSON when...

-REST API request/response data
-Configuration files
-Data storage and exchange
-Web application state management

Use CSV when...

-Data export/import between applications
-Database dumps
-Spreadsheet data exchange
-Data analysis and reporting

Learn more about JSON Learn more about CSV