What is better - JSON response objects with descriptive keys and larger responses, or concise keys and smaller responses?

In my dynamic web application, I utilize ajax requests to fetch responses in JSON format.

The returned data is typically an array of objects.

Since the array often contains a large number of elements (even though the server gzip compresses the data), I opt to use very short keys in the response to minimize the size of the payload.

For instance, instead of labeling it as description:, I simply use d:, and similarly, width: becomes w:.

While this approach reduces response size, on the client side, extremely concise non-human-readable keys can make the JavaScript accessing the object less user-friendly.

The potential solution may involve parsing the response again and reconstructing the object with more descriptive keys or replacing them in the original object received. However, this might negatively impact JavaScript performance, leading to delays.

Is there a better alternative?


UPDATE:

Upon the suggestion from Björn Roberg in the comments, I conducted a comparison:

pretty-response.json       459,809 bytes
 short-response.json       245,881 bytes

pretty-response.json.zip    28,635 bytes
 short-response.json.zip    26,388 bytes

As the server compresses the response, the disparity between the two sizes is minimal.

However, opting for a pretty response means that the server needs to compress 450 KB of data, while a short response only requires 240 KB.

Can this affect server performance (or is there a way to gauge it)?

Answer №1

If your main focus is on optimizing bandwidth rather than memory usage when transferring data, you may be considering switching from short keys back to long keys on the client side.

To illustrate this concept, I created files with random data and three different keys (description, something, and somethingElse). Using sed, I replaced these keys with letters: d, s, and e.

The file sizes are as follows:

750K   long-keys
457K   short-keys

It's important to note that HTTP supports compression, particularly with gzip which is widely supported by most clients. When we gzip the files, the results are:

187K   10:26 long-keys.gz
179K   10:27 short-keys.gz

Due to gzip's efficiency in compressing repeated strings, there isn't a significant difference between the two compressed file sizes.

Therefore, utilizing HTTP compression eliminates the need to manipulate the data further for optimization.

Additionally, gzip is known for its speed and minimal impact on server performance, making it a reliable choice for file compression.

Answer №2

If you're looking to optimize speed and reduce file size, you might want to explore using protocol buffers. This serialization format was specifically designed to outperform traditional options like XML and JSON.

While there are other alternatives with similar objectives, protocol buffers, also known as protobufs, stand out as a top choice in my opinion.

For a detailed comparison, check out this insightful answer.

Answer №3

Utilizing the decorator pattern can be a great way to enhance the objects when retrieved from an array.

In cases where you need to access all the returned objects, it might be more efficient to simply convert them into objects with longer field names directly from the array without adding an extra layer of decoration.

If there is a need to access each object multiple times, consider replacing them individually in the array to avoid repetitive conversion processes.

While these approaches may impact performance to some extent, conducting profiling tests can help ascertain their significance.

Answer №4

Optimize your JSON data received from the server using

Utilize this compression tool from

You can verify the reduction in size of your JSON data by comparing it online before and after compression.

Answer №5

To maintain readability in your code while using concise keys, consider utilizing index notation to access object members:

var titleKey = 't';
var authorKey = 'a';

//...

var title = myObject[titleKey];

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