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📋 De complete gids voor JSON voor beginners

📅 January 14, 2026 ⏱️ 12 min read 🏷️ Web Development

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the universal language of data exchange on the web. Whether you're building APIs, storing configuration files, or communicating between services, understanding JSON is essential for any developer. This comprehensive guide takes you from the basics to advanced concepts.

Wat is JSON?

JSON is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format. Despite "JavaScript" in the name, JSON is language-independent and supported by virtually every programming language. It was derived from JavaScript object syntax but has become the de facto standard for data exchange.

💡 Fun Fact: JSON was popularized by Douglas Crockford in the early 2000s. It's now defined by two standards: RFC 8259 and ECMA-404. The format is so simple that the entire specification fits on a business card.

JSON-syntaxis: de basis

JSON is built on two structures:

Een eenvoudig JSON-object

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "age": 30,
  "isActive": true,
  "email": "[email protected]"
}

JSON-gegevenstypen

JSON supports six data types:

Type Example Description
String "Hello World" Text enclosed in double quotes
Number 42, 3.14, -17 Integer or floating-point
Boolean true, false Logical values (lowercase)
Null null Empty or absent value
Object {"key": "value"} Unordered key-value pairs
Array [1, 2, 3] Ordered list of values

Geneste structuren

JSON's power comes from nesting objects and arrays:

{
  "user": {
    "id": 12345,
    "profile": {
      "firstName": "Jane",
      "lastName": "Smith"
    },
    "tags": ["developer", "designer"]
  }
}

Veelvoorkomende JSON-fouten

⚠️ JSON is Strict: Unlike JavaScript objects, JSON requires exact syntax. A single error will cause parsing to fail completely.

1. Komma's achteraan

// ❌ Invalid - trailing comma after last item
{ "name": "John", "age": 30, }

// ✅ Valid
{ "name": "John", "age": 30 }

2. Enkele aanhalingstekens

// ❌ Invalid - JSON requires double quotes
{ 'name': 'John' }

// ✅ Valid
{ "name": "John" }

3. Niet-geciteerde sleutels

// ❌ Invalid - keys must be quoted
{ name: "John" }

// ✅ Valid
{ "name": "John" }

4. Opmerkingen

// ❌ Invalid - JSON doesn't support comments
{
  "name": "John" // This is a name
}

// ✅ JSON simply doesn't allow comments

Werken met JSON in JavaScript

JSON parseren (String → Object)

const jsonString = '{"name": "John", "age": 30}';
const user = JSON.parse(jsonString);

console.log(user.name); // "John"
console.log(user.age); // 30

Stringificeren (Object → String)

const user = { name: "John", age: 30 };
const jsonString = JSON.stringify(user);

console.log(jsonString);
// '{"name":"John","age":30}'

Mooie afdrukken

const user = { name: "John", age: 30 };

// Third parameter = indentation spaces
const pretty = JSON.stringify(user, null, 2);
console.log(pretty);
// {
// "name": "John",
// "age": 30
// }

✅ Pro-tip: Veilig parseren

Always wrap JSON.parse() in try-catch to handle invalid JSON gracefully instead of crashing your application.

Werken met JSON in Python

import json

# Parsing JSON
json_string = '{"name": "John", "age": 30}'
user = json.loads(json_string)
print(user["name"]) # John

# Creating JSON
user_dict = {"name": "Jane", "age": 25}
json_output = json.dumps(user_dict, indent=2)
print(json_output)

JSON versus XML: wanneer moet u ze gebruiken?

Aspect JSON XML
Readability More readable for humans More verbose
File Size Smaller Larger (more markup)
Parsing Speed Faster Slower
Data Types Native types (numbers, booleans) Everything is a string
Comments Not supported Supported
Namespaces Not supported Supported
Best For APIs, web apps, config files Documents, complex schemas

JSON-voorbeelden uit de echte wereld

API-reactie

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "users": [
      { "id": 1, "name": "Alice" },
      { "id": 2, "name": "Bob" }
    ],
    "total": 2
  }
}

Configuratiebestand (pakket.json)

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.0",
    "lodash": "^4.17.21"
  }
}

Beste praktijken

  1. Use descriptive keys: "firstName" is better than "fn"
  2. Be consistent with naming: Choose camelCase or snake_case and stick with it
  3. Validate before parsing: Always validate JSON from external sources
  4. Handle null values explicitly: Don't omit keys—use null for empty values
  5. Use arrays for lists: Even if there's currently only one item
  6. Keep nesting reasonable: Deeply nested JSON is hard to work with

🔧 Wilt u JSON formatteren of valideren?

Use our free JSON Formatter tool to beautify, validate, and minify JSON instantly.

Open JSON-formatter →

Conclusie

JSON's simplicity is its strength. With just objects, arrays, and six data types, you can represent virtually any data structure. Master the basics covered here, avoid the common pitfalls, and you'll be working with JSON like a pro.

Remember: when in doubt, validate your JSON with a tool before debugging your code. Nine times out of ten, the issue is a syntax error—usually a missing comma or quote.