JSON Diff
Compare two JSON payloads and see exactly which fields were added, removed or changed, by path.
Compare two API responses and see exactly which fields were added, removed or changed.
Diff
Added
2
Removed
1
Changed
2
~ name "Ada" → "Ada Lovelace"
- phone "555-0100"
+ roles[1] "editor"
~ meta.active true → false
+ email "ada@example.com"
~ name: "Ada" -> "Ada Lovelace"
- phone: "555-0100"
+ roles[1]: "editor"
~ meta.active: true -> false
+ email: "ada@example.com"About the json diff
A text diff on JSON is nearly useless, because reformatting or reordering keys marks every line as changed while the data is identical. What you actually need is a structural comparison: which paths exist in one payload and not the other, and which values moved.
This walks both payloads together and reports by path, so meta.active shows up as one changed field rather than a block of shifted lines. It is the fastest way to answer why an API call behaves differently than it did yesterday.
How to use it
- 1Paste the first response.
- 2Paste the second response.
- 3Read the added, removed and changed counts.
- 4Work through the path list to find what actually moved.
Questions
Why not just use a text diff?
Because key order and indentation are not meaningful in JSON. A text diff reports them as changes and buries the one field that really differs.
How are arrays compared?
By index, so item 0 is compared with item 0. That is right for ordered lists and misleading for an unordered set, where an inserted item at the front will make everything after it look changed.
Is anything uploaded?
No, both payloads stay in your browser.
What do the symbols mean?
A plus is a field only in the second payload, a minus is a field only in the first, and a tilde is a field present in both with a different value.