Introduction to JavaScript Object Notation

Chapter 10. Conclusion

From about 6,000 feet, we can see JSON flitting about in the world, carrying data in and out of systems. JSON is great at doing its job as a data interchange format, and we have seen that expressed in this book. However, if you look closely through your binoculars, you can see that JSON is simply staying put in some places.

Despite the phenomena of JSON staying put in some places, this book has mostly ignored the subject. The focus has been on interchanging data between two parties. Essentially, moving data.

JSON can be both a receptacle and a vehicle for data, and it is not bound to a single purpose. We saw that illustrated with the role of JSON in NoSQL. More and more, JSON is making its way into projects and endeavors as a very useful tool. To further illustrate, let’s take one last look at a role that JSON plays out in the world today: staying put in one place as a configuration file.

JSON as a Configuration File

In Chapter 9, we explored two server-side web technologies that support parsing JSON. As discussed in that chapter, JSON is widely supported by most server-side web languages (or frameworks). It has become popular to use JSON for storing configuration data due to wide support, ease of parsing on the server, and human readability.

A configuration or settings file is often used in software, so settings may be changed without having to recompile. There are several formats for configuration files, including INI and XML.

Let’s take a look at how ...