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JSON flattener

Flatten a nested JSON object into one level of path keys — and put it back together again. Arrays are indexed as user.roles[0] or user.roles.0, values keep their type, and an empty object stays visible as {}. Takes a whole file, so a long log does not have to go through the clipboard.

JSON flattener works straight from this page — free, instant, nothing to install. You will find it under JSON, XML & formats, with CSV to JSON converter and JSON comment remover for the neighbouring cases.

How to use it

  1. Open the tool — no signup or install needed.
  2. Enter your input or adjust the available options.
  3. Get your result instantly, then copy or download it.

Frequently asked questions

What does JSON flattener do?

Flatten a nested JSON object into one level of path keys — and put it back together again. Arrays are indexed as user.roles[0] or user.roles.0, values keep their type, and an empty object stays visible as {}. Takes a whole file, so a long log does not have to go through the clipboard.

When would I actually use this?

Making a machine-generated blob readable, finding the character where a parse fails, and shrinking a file before it ships.

What is the most common mistake?

Assuming valid means correct. A document can parse cleanly and still have the wrong shape for whatever will read it — validation checks the syntax, not the schema.

How is JSON flattener different from CSV to JSON converter?

They sit next to each other but answer different questions: CSV to JSON converter is the one to open when you need it to parse CSV text (with header row) into a JSON array of objects, handling quoted fields. Drop a file in rather than pasting it — it is read in your browser and never uploaded. Pick whichever matches what you're starting from — both are free.

Is there a tool for the next step?

JSON comment remover is the closest one after this: Strip // and /* */ comments from JSONC to make it valid JSON. Drop a file in rather than pasting it — it is read in your browser and never uploaded.

What else is worth having open alongside it?

JSON formatter and JSON keys extractor — they come up in the same task often enough to be worth a second tab.

Where do the figures come from?

Parsing and serialisation follow each format's specification. Key order and whitespace are not semantically meaningful in JSON or YAML, so a reformatted document is equivalent even when the bytes differ.

Further reading

All guides
ExplainerJSON Is Simpler Than You Think, and That Is the ProblemJSON has no integer type, no date type, no comments and no schema. Every one of those absences produces a specific bug: a 19-digit ID comes back off by 21, a timestamp becomes a string nobody agreed on, NaN cannot be written down, and duplicate keys are legal. All of it run, in two languages.ExplainerJSON to CSV When the Structure Is Nested: Why There Is No Right AnswerThe same two orders come out as five columns from one converter and ten from another, and neither is wrong. Dotted paths, arrays of scalars, arrays of objects and records with different keys — four decisions, made for you, usually silently.GuideSQL Formatting and the IN Clause That Breaks ProductionBuilding an IN list by string concatenation is both the classic injection vector and a performance cliff. Parameterisation fixes the first structurally, because the plan is compiled before any value arrives. The second needs arithmetic: the vendors' documented parameter ceilings, and what a query whose text changes with every list length does to a plan cache.ExplainerCSV to JSON: The Five Cases That Break Every ConverterQuoted delimiters, embedded newlines, ambiguous types, duplicate headers and encoding. Each one was run through the converter and the exact output is printed here — including the two cases it does not rescue.How-toHow to Convert JSON to CSV: Flattening Arrays of Objects into Rows and ColumnsA practical guide to turning a JSON array of objects into a clean CSV file, including how to flatten nested fields and handle the tricky edge cases.ExplainerXML to JSON: Attributes, Repetition, and the Single-Element Array TrapTwo documents that differ only in how many children exist produce two different JSON shapes, and no converter can tell them apart without a schema. Plus what this one really does with attributes, mixed content and whitespace — and the one thing it still cannot record.