JSON vs CSV: what is the difference?

JSON and CSV both hold tabular-ish data, but they suit different jobs. CSV is a flat, spreadsheet-friendly grid of rows and columns. JSON is hierarchical and can represent nested, complex structures that CSV cannot do cleanly.

[
  { "name": "Ada", "age": 36 },
  { "name": "Alan", "age": 41 }
]

name,age
Ada,36
Alan,41

When to use which

• Choose JSON when data is nested, typed, or comes from an API.
• Choose CSV for simple flat tables you'll open in Excel or Google Sheets.

Working with nested JSON? Flatten it to a single level, or compare with JSON vs XML.