🌐 What Is JSON & Why It’s Everywhere — The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to OurTechTale — where we learn tech together, from scratch.

Today’s topic? Something that’s quietly working behind every app you use — JSON.

You may have seen this word in tutorials, YouTube videos, or random code blocks. But no one really explained what it is, why it’s used everywhere, and how it works — until now.

Let’s start at zero, and build up your understanding like a real beginner would.

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📦 What Is JSON?

JSON (pronounced jay-sawn) stands for:

JavaScript Object Notation

Despite the scary name, JSON is not complicated.

✅ JSON is a way to organize and share data between two systems — like between a website and a server, or between a mobile app and an API.

You can think of it like a digital data notebook — where everything is written neatly using labels (called keys) and values.

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🎯 Why Do We Even Need JSON?

Let’s say you're using a weather app. You type your city — "Delhi" — and in 1 second it shows:

🌤️ Delhi, 34°C, Sunny

How did it get this info?

Behind the scenes:

1. The app asks a server for weather info for Delhi.

2. The server sends the data back — written in JSON.

3. The app reads that JSON and displays it nicely on your screen.

This is why JSON is everywhere — it’s the universal format that allows apps, websites, and services to talk to each other.

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🧠 How JSON Looks (Simple Example)

Let’s say we want to store info about a person:

• Name: Abhishek

• Age: 22

• City: Delhi

In JSON, it looks like this:

{
  "name": "Abhishek",
  "age": 22,
  "city": "Delhi"
}

Let’s break this down:

• JSON starts and ends with curly braces { }

• Data is written in key-value pairs.

• Keys are always in double quotes.

• Each key is followed by a colon :, and then the value.

• Different pairs are separated by commas.

That’s JSON at its simplest.

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🔎 What Kind of Data Can JSON Store?

JSON supports basic and useful data types:

So JSON can represent complex information, but it still stays simple to read.

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📱 Real-Life Example: JSON in a Mobile App

You open your food delivery app, and it shows:

🥘 Pao Bhaji — ₹180 — In Stock ✅

Here’s the data your app probably received from the server — in JSON:

{
  "dish": "Pao Bhaji",
  "price": 180,
  "available": true
}

The app reads this JSON, and displays the dish name, price, and status.
You never see the JSON — but without it, the app couldn’t function.

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🌍 Where Is JSON Used?

Everywhere. Literally.

So whether you're a future web developer, app creator, or data analyst — JSON is unavoidable (in a good way!).

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🔁 JSON vs XML — Why JSON Won

Before JSON, we used XML. Here’s how they compare:

XML:

<user>
  <name>Abhishek</name>
  <age>22</age>
</user>

JSON:

{
  "name": "Abhishek",
  "age": 22
}

✅ JSON is:

• Shorter

• Cleaner

• Easier to read & write

• Faster to use in code

That’s why JSON is now the global standard for data exchange.

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✏️ Want to Try JSON Yourself?

Go to https://jsonformatter.org

Paste this:

{
  "name": "You",
  "learning": "JSON",
  "with": "OurTechTale",
  "beginnerFriendly": true
}

Click Format and see how beautifully it structures your data.

It’s not just code — it’s clarity.

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🧠 Quick Recap

• ✅ JSON = JavaScript Object Notation

• 🧰 It’s a way to store and share data

• 📦 Uses key-value pairs

• 💡 Data is structured simply (text, numbers, true/false, etc.)

• 🔗 Used by websites, apps, APIs, databases, and more

• 🏆 It replaced XML as the most used data format

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🚀 What’s Next?

Now that you understand what JSON is, in our next blog we’ll cover:

🔗 What Is an API & How It Uses JSON to Connect Apps

You’ll learn how to actually fetch live data from the internet using JSON. No coding background needed — just curiosity.

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👋 Final Words

We hope this was the clearest explanation you’ve ever read about JSON.

At OurTechTale, we don’t just write blogs — we teach tech in a way that beginners truly get.

If this helped, leave a comment — and share it with one more beginner like you.

Let’s grow in tech — together.

— Palak, Abhishek| OurTechTale