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JSON to Text online

Flatten JSON to readable plain text — dot-notation paths and values. Browser-side.

JSON to Text Converter logo
by
CHUNKY
MUNSTER
Format:
JSON INPUT0 CHARS
TEXT OUTPUT0 CHARS

About JSON to Text

This tool flattens a JSON object into human-readable key-value pairs using dot notation for nested keys. Useful for generating configuration summaries, debugging API responses, and producing plain-text reports from structured data. All processing happens in your browser.

How to Use the JSON to Text Converter

  1. Paste a JSON object (nested objects and arrays are fine) into the input panel.
  2. Pick a format: key = value, key: value, or values only.
  3. Click Convert to Text — the result is one leaf per line.
  4. Copy the output for use in a log, README or .properties file.

Nested JSON is hard to scan visually, especially in log dumps and config diffs. Flattening to one line per leaf, with the path written in dot notation, gives you something grep-friendly and diff-friendly without losing structure. {address:{city:'London',zip:'SW1A'}} becomes two lines — address.city = London and address.zip = SW1A — that line up nicely under each other.

How the JSON to Text Converter Works

Three formats are offered: key = value (shell/.properties style), key: value (YAML/HTTP-header style), and values-only (for pipelines). Arrays use [i] indices, so users[0].name = Alice is unambiguous. The conversion is intentionally one-way and lossy — you can't reconstruct the original types — so use this for human reading, not as a serialisation format. JSON validation is strict, with inline parse errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the dot notation actually look like?

Nested object keys are joined with dots: {a:{b:1}} becomes a.b = 1. Array elements use [i] suffixes: {tags:['x','y']} becomes tags[0] = x and tags[1] = y. Mixed structures combine the two: users[0].name = Alice.

Which format should I pick?

key = value is shell/Java .properties style. key: value reads like YAML or HTTP headers. Values only is for when you just want the leaf data dumped one item per line — useful for piping into wc -l or grep.

What happens to null and boolean values?

They are emitted as the JS toString form: null, true, false. If you need quoted strings, post-process with another tool.

Does it round-trip back to JSON?

No, it is intentionally one-way and lossy — you cannot tell the difference between a number and a numeric string in the output. Use it for human-readable summaries, not as a serialisation format.

Explore the full suite of DATA FORMATS tools and 290+ other free utilities at Chunky Munster.