What is a JSON object?

A JSON object is an unordered collection of key-value pairs wrapped in curly braces { }. Each key is a double-quoted string, followed by a colon, then its value. Objects are the main building block of almost every JSON document.

{
  "id": 7,
  "name": "Ada",
  "address": {
    "city": "London",
    "zip": "EC1A"
  }
}

Key things to know

• Keys must be double-quoted strings and should be unique within the object
• Values can be any JSON type, including another object (nesting)
• Pairs are separated by commas, with no trailing comma
• Order is not guaranteed to be meaningful; objects are conceptually unordered

Objects and arrays together form all JSON structures. Explore a nested object visually in the tree viewer or as a mind map.