JSON
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript programming language and is commonly used to transmit data between a server and web application, serving as an alternative to XML. JSON represents data as key-value pairs and arrays, making it language-independent and widely supported across programming languages.
Developers should learn JSON because it is the de facto standard for data exchange in web APIs, mobile applications, and configuration files due to its simplicity and efficiency. It is essential for working with RESTful APIs, storing structured data in NoSQL databases like MongoDB, and serializing data in modern web development frameworks. JSON's minimal syntax reduces bandwidth usage and parsing overhead compared to formats like XML, making it ideal for real-time applications and microservices architectures.