JSON Tree Viewer
Explore JSON data as a collapsible tree. Click nodes to expand or collapse. Runs entirely in your browser.
Pure browser JavaScript — no third-party library needed.
How to use this tool
- Paste JSON.
- Click View Tree.
- Click any ▾ node to collapse or expand it.
Explore JSON data as a collapsible tree. Click nodes to expand or collapse. Runs entirely in your browser.
How it works
The JSON Tree Viewer renders any JSON object or array as a collapsible tree, making it easy to navigate deeply nested structures that are hard to read as raw text. Paste your JSON into the input and the tree appears with each key and value displayed on its own line.
Click any node with child elements to collapse or expand it. Arrays show their element count, and objects show their key count, so you can quickly judge how large a branch is before expanding it. Primitive values (strings, numbers, booleans, null) are displayed inline with their types visually distinguished.
The tool is useful for inspecting API responses, configuration files, log entries, and any other JSON payload. Because everything runs client-side, you can safely paste tokens, credentials payloads, or other sensitive data that you would not want to send to an external service.
If your JSON is minified (all on one line with no whitespace), the tree viewer still parses and displays it correctly — no need to pretty-print it first.
Worked example
Inspect a REST API response
- Copy the JSON body from your browser's DevTools Network tab or from a tool like Postman.
- Paste it into the JSON Tree Viewer input.
- The top-level keys appear as expandable nodes.
- Click a nested object node (e.g., 'user') to expand it and see its child fields.
- Click an array node to see how many items it contains and explore individual elements.
A navigable tree showing the full structure of the API response without needing to scroll through raw text.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pasting JSON with JavaScript-style comments (// or /* */) — JSON does not support comments and the viewer will report a parse error.
- Expecting the tree to show key order as it appears in the original text — JavaScript parsers may reorder keys in some environments.
- Confusing a JSON array (starts with [) with a JSON object (starts with {); the root node label tells you which type you have.
Key terms
- JSON
- JavaScript Object Notation — a lightweight text format for structured data using key-value pairs and arrays, widely used in APIs and configuration files.
- Collapsible node
- A tree element that can be toggled open or closed, hiding or showing its child elements to reduce visual clutter.
- Primitive value
- A JSON value that has no children: a string, number, boolean (true/false), or null.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to install anything?
- No — the tree renderer is pure JavaScript built into the page.