A Perfect Match: Python And JSON

In Python, we work with JSON data using the json module that is a part of the standard library. Here are some examples demonstrating how to use the json module to encode Python data to JSON format and decode JSON data to Python data:

1. Importing the JSON Module

First, you need to import the json module:

import json

2. Converting Python Data to JSON (Serialization)

You can convert Python data structures to JSON format using the json.dumps() method (returns a JSON string) or the json.dump() method (writes JSON data to a file).

2.1 Using json.dumps()

import json

# Python dictionary
data = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York"
}

# Convert Python dictionary to JSON string
json_data = json.dumps(data)
print(json_data)

2.2 Using json.dump()

import json

data = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York"
}

# Write JSON data to a file
with open('data.json', 'w') as json_file:
    json.dump(data, json_file)

3. Converting JSON Data to Python (Deserialization)

You can convert JSON data to Python data structures using the json.loads() method (parses a JSON string) or the json.load() method (reads JSON data from a file).

3.1 Using json.loads()

import json

# JSON string
json_data = '{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}'

# Parse JSON string to Python dictionary
data = json.loads(json_data)
print(data)

3.2 Using json.load()

import json

# Read JSON data from a file
with open('data.json', 'r') as json_file:
    data = json.load(json_file)
    print(data)

4. Formatting JSON Output

You can format the JSON output using the indent parameter in the json.dumps() and json.dump() methods:

import json

data = {
    "name": "John",
    "age": 30,
    "city": "New York"
}

# Convert Python dictionary to formatted JSON string
json_data = json.dumps(data, indent=4)
print(json_data)

This will give you a nicely formatted JSON string with an indentation of 4 spaces.

Remember to handle exceptions using try-except blocks to catch any errors that might occur during the JSON encoding and decoding processes.

What Is JSON Format?