JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the standard data format in which systems exchange information via APIs. It is text that is readable both by machines and by people: data is stored as name-value pairs between curly braces, for example {"customer":"Jansen BV","amount":1250}.
JSON in practice
Virtually every modern REST API sends and receives JSON. That makes the format the lingua franca of integrations: an order from your webshop, a candidate from your ATS and an invoice from your accounting all look like JSON in transit. So when you read API documentation, you are mainly looking at examples of the JSON that goes in and out.
For non-developers, the practical value is this: if a supplier offers 'export via JSON or API', your data can almost always be connected or migrated. If data lives only in PDFs or a closed format, you are dependent on the supplier. Read more about connecting systems in API integration.
Related terms
- API — An API (Application Programming Interface) is a standardised way in which software systems make data and functions available to each other.
- REST API — A REST API is an API that works according to the REST architecture: data is accessed as 'resources' via standard HTTP requests such as GET (retrieve), POST (create), PUT (update) and DELETE (remove).
- Webhook — A webhook is an automatic message that a system sends immediately as soon as something happens — for example a new order, a paid invoice or a changed candidate status.