JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a text-based format for storing and exchanging data in a way that’s both human-readable and machine-parsable. As a result, JSON is relatively easy to learn and to troubleshoot. Although JSON has its roots in JavaScript, it has grown into a very capable data format that simplifies data interchange across diverse platforms and programming languages. If you're involved in web development, data analysis, or software engineering, JSON is an important data format to understand.