The output of JSON.stringify() when given a single value as input

Question

The output of JSON.stringify() when given a single value as input

The JSON.stringify() function is designed to convert a JavaScript value into JSON format.

console.log(JSON.stringify('a'));
//output: "a"
console.log(JSON.stringify(1));
//output: 1
console.log(JSON.stringify(true));
//output: true

However, technically speaking, the outputs above are not valid JSON formats.

"a"
1
true

The definition of JSON is provided below:

JSON is based on two main structures:

- A collection of name/value pairs. This can be represented as an object, record, struct, dictionary, hash table, keyed list, or associative array in different programming languages.

- An ordered list of values. In many languages, this is represented as an array, vector, list, or sequence.

So, if the inputs mentioned above do not produce valid JSON when passed through JSON.stringify(), the question arises as to why that is the case?

javascript json

Answer 1

Answer №1

The JSON.stringify() function takes a JavaScript value and converts it into a JSON string. You can also specify a replacer function to replace values, or use a replacer array to include only specific properties.

Reference: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/JSON/stringify

"I'm wondering why JSON.stringify() doesn't produce valid JSON when given certain input values?"

Here are some examples of valid JSON syntax:

"hello"
123
true
{}
[]

Try these out:

JSON.parse('"foo"'); // returns "foo"
JSON.parse(123); // returns 123
JSON.parse(true); // returns true
JSON.parse('{}'); // returns {}
JSON.parse('[]');  // returns []

For further information, read the following answers:

Is a simple string considered valid JSON?

What is the minimum valid JSON format?

Answer 2

The JSON.stringify() function takes a JavaScript value and converts it into a JSON string. You can also specify a replacer function to replace values, or use a replacer array to include only specific properties.

Reference: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/JSON/stringify

"I'm wondering why JSON.stringify() doesn't produce valid JSON when given certain input values?"

Here are some examples of valid JSON syntax:

"hello"
123
true
{}
[]

Try these out:

JSON.parse('"foo"'); // returns "foo"
JSON.parse(123); // returns 123
JSON.parse(true); // returns true
JSON.parse('{}'); // returns {}
JSON.parse('[]');  // returns []

For further information, read the following answers:

Is a simple string considered valid JSON?

What is the minimum valid JSON format?

The output of JSON.stringify() when given a single value as input

Answer №1

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