CSV vs JSON: What Is the Difference?

CSV is a table; JSON is structured data

CSV stores rows with columns, often with a header row. It is compact and easy to open in spreadsheet software. JSON stores objects and arrays and can represent nested information. It is commonly used by web APIs and configuration files.

Choose based on the shape of the data

Use CSV for simple flat records such as a contact list. Use JSON when each record has nested values or different fields. For example, a person with several addresses fits naturally in JSON, while a list of names and email addresses fits CSV.

• CSV fields containing commas must be quoted.
• JSON types distinguish numbers, booleans and strings.
• A CSV-to-JSON conversion commonly leaves values as strings until you assign types.

Convert carefully

When converting CSV, check the header row and inspect a row with a quoted comma. The CSV to JSON tool parses quoted fields, but you should verify the output structure before sending it to another system.