What does JSON stand for and what is it?

• A. JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a data storage format that stores information in key-value pairs.
• B. A relational database management system.
• C. A language for styling web pages.
• D. A protocol for secure network communication.

Answer: (A)

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It’s a lightweight, text-based data interchange format that models data as structured objects made of key-value pairs and ordered lists (arrays). Although it originated in JavaScript, it is language-agnostic and widely supported, making it a common choice for sending data between servers and clients or for simple configuration files. Its strength lies in being easy to read and easy to parse, while preserving data structure in a compact form.

This description matches the idea of a data storage format that uses key-value pairs to represent information. The other options describe things that aren’t JSON: a relational database management system is a database technology with tables and SQL; a styling language for web pages is CSS; and a protocol for secure network communication refers to protocols like TLS.