Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between formatting and validating?

Formatting rewrites your text with consistent indentation and spacing so it is easier to read, without changing its values. Validating checks whether the text is valid and tells you the verdict, and it does not change the text you entered. When the text is valid, a validator also shows a formatted copy of it.

What does “strict JSON” mean, and what do the errors tell me?

The JSON tools follow the JSON rules exactly. For example, comments and trailing commas are not valid JSON.

When the text is not valid, the tool shows the first error it can locate dependably, with its line and column, so you know where to start fixing.

Can the tool fix my JSON for me?

Only in two narrow cases: removing a byte order mark (BOM) at the very start of the text, and removing a trailing comma when it is safe to do so. A fix is never applied silently. The tool shows you a preview of the change, and nothing changes until you explicitly accept it.

What happens when a conversion cannot be done faithfully?

JSON to YAML keeps the structure and every value of your data, including its types, or it refuses. JSON to XML writes readable XML with every value as text: the number 1 and the text "1" look the same, a list with one entry looks like a plain value, an empty list leaves no element, and null and an empty object are both empty elements, so the XML cannot be turned back into the same JSON. It also adjusts key names that XML cannot use, for example "with space" becomes with_space. JSON to CSV is similar: it writes plain cells, so the text "1" and the number 1 look the same, null and a missing value become an empty cell, and for an object it uses the first list of objects it finds and names it in the result. No tool silently changes your text or numbers, and when a conversion is refused, the tool tells you why.

Is there anything I should know about CSV?

Spreadsheet programs can interpret what is in a CSV file: text that looks like a formula may be treated as one, and values may be retyped, for example as numbers or dates. Before you copy or download the result of JSON to CSV, you have to confirm that you understand this. When you open the file in a spreadsheet, import it as text.

The site cannot promise that a CSV file is safe in every spreadsheet program.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No. The text you type or paste, or open from a local file, is processed locally in your browser, in a dedicated Web Worker, and is never uploaded or sent to the server. A file you open is read in your browser only. It is not written to storage, cookies or the address bar either.

For the full details, see the Privacy Policy

How much text can I process?

Input and complete output can each be up to 2,000,000 bytes (about 2 MB) of UTF-8 text. Letters outside the basic Latin alphabet, such as accented letters, take more than one byte each.

If your input is larger, it is rejected. JSON and YAML allow up to 256 nesting levels; HTML and XML allow up to 128 element levels, counting a root as level 1 and including self-closing and HTML void elements. CSS allows up to 256 open braces, parentheses and square brackets counted together, with an independent cap of 64 open parentheses and square brackets combined. Deeper input is rejected, and the YAML Viewer rejects YAML with more than 200,000 values. If the complete output would be larger, the tool shows only an incomplete preview of up to 100,000 bytes, and that preview cannot be copied or downloaded. A run that takes longer than its time limit is stopped.

How do I copy or download the result?

The formatting and conversion tools offer a copy action that puts the result on your clipboard and a download action that saves it as a file. Copy writes to your clipboard only when you ask for it. Download creates the file in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. The validators offer them too, for the formatted text they show when your text is valid; when they show only a verdict, there is nothing to copy or download. The YAML Viewer shows a tree instead of text, so it has nothing to copy or download.

Downloaded files are UTF-8 text with LF line endings and no byte order mark, with these exceptions: CSV files use CRLF line endings, and the HTML Formatter leaves the contents of script and style elements exactly as you wrote them, line endings included. Copy leaves out a byte order mark at the start in the same way.

Which languages can I use?

The interface is available in English, Português (Brasil) and Español. Choose one with the language links on any page. If you switch language or tool in the same tab, the text you entered stays in the page.

Do I need an account? Is anything saved?

No account is needed. The site keeps no history and has no way to save or share your text. You can open a file from your device, which is read in your browser and never uploaded, but there is no web address import. The text lives in the memory of the open page, and reloading or closing the tab ends it. Separately from your text, if you press the theme button on a tool page, your browser keeps your choice of the light or dark look of the tool panel until you clear the site data in your browser. It stays in your browser and is never sent to the server. There is no public developer API.

Have another question?

Write to us at carvalhosoftwarecompany@gmail.com