JSON
/ˈd͡ʒeɪsən/noun, acronym
JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It is a text format that software uses to exchange and store structured data.
The report arrives as JSON, allowing our program to read the amounts directly.
JSON can represent data as names with corresponding values, such as a campaign name and its budget. It also supports lists and nested data. One file can therefore contain several campaigns, each with its own ad groups.
Text with a fixed structure
JSON supports text, numbers, the values true and false, null, objects and lists. Its syntax is defined: field names, for example, must use double quotation marks. The JSON specification describes the valid forms. Although its name refers to JavaScript, many programming languages can read and write JSON.
An Glossary · In briefAPIAn API is a defined way for software to exchange data or call functions in other software without needing to know how that software works internally.Read more can use JSON to exchange data between programs. We store the mapping between our local campaign IDs and Google Ads IDs in a JSON file, for example. The next run can read that file again.
Valid JSON does not guarantee that the contents are correct for an application. A file can have valid syntax yet lack a required field or contain an invalid budget. The program must check those rules separately.