How to Format JSON in Python

Feb 02, 20263 min read

Python's standard library comes with a built-in json module that makes it very easy to parse, modify, and pretty-print JSON data. By using the indent parameter, you can format minified JSON into human-readable output.

Example Code

Python
import json

# Your minified JSON string
data_string = '{"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York","skills":["Python","Machine Learning"]}'

# Parse the JSON string into a Python dictionary
parsed_json = json.loads(data_string)

# Pretty print the JSON with an indent of 4 spaces
formatted_json = json.dumps(parsed_json, indent=4, sort_keys=True)

print(formatted_json)

Common Use Cases

Logging API responses in a readable format
Saving configuration files (like config.json) so they can be easily edited by users
Creating CLI tools that need to output formatted JSON

💡 Pro Tips for Python

Use sort_keys=True to alphabetically sort the keys for easier visual scanning.
For reading from files, use json.load(file) and for writing formatted output use json.dump(data, file, indent=4).
If you are using Django or Flask, you can also return formatted JSON directly in HTTP responses.

If you just need to format a JSON file quickly without writing any code, try our free Online JSON Formatter and Validator.