Mojo::JSON(3)

✨ Mojo::JSON(3) — Minimalistic JSON ✨

🎀 NAME 🎀

Mojo::JSON - Minimalistic JSON.

💖 SYNOPSIS 💖

use Mojo::JSON qw(decode_json encode_json);

my $bytes = encode_json {foo => [1, 2], bar => 'hello!', baz => \1};
my $hash  = decode_json $bytes;

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so Mojo::JSON is a minimalistic — and possibly the fastest — pure-Perl implementation of RFC 8259 (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8259). It's giving small but mighty energy. 💅

It supports normal Perl data types like scalar, array reference, hash reference and will try to call the TO_JSON method on blessed references, or stringify them if it doesn't exist. Differentiating between strings and numbers in Perl is hard: depending on how it has been used, a scalar can be both at the same time. The string value has a higher precedence unless both representations are equivalent. No cap.

[1, -2, 3]     -> [1, -2, 3]
{"foo": "bar"} -> {foo => 'bar'}

Literal names will be translated to and from Mojo::JSON constants or a similar native Perl value. Iconic behavior:

true  -> Mojo::JSON->true
false -> Mojo::JSON->false
null  -> undef

In addition scalar references will be used to generate booleans, based on if their values are true or false:

\1 -> true
\0 -> false

The character / will always be escaped to prevent XSS attacks. Safety slay:

"</script>" -> "<\/script>"

For better performance the optional module Cpanel::JSON::XS (4.20+) will be used automatically if possible. This can also be disabled with the MOJO_NO_JSON_XS environment variable. iykyk

🎀 FUNCTIONS 🎀

Mojo::JSON implements the following functions, which can be imported individually.

🦋 decode_json 🦋

my $value = decode_json $bytes;

Decode JSON to Perl value and die if decoding fails.

🦋 encode_json 🦋

my $bytes = encode_json {i => '♥ mojolicious'};

Encode Perl value to JSON.

🦋 false 🦋

my $false = false;

False value, used because Perl has no native equivalent.

🦋 from_json 🦋

my $value = from_json $chars;

Decode JSON text that is not "UTF-8" encoded to Perl value and die if decoding fails.

🦋 j 🦋

my $bytes = j [1, 2, 3];
my $bytes = j {i => '♥ mojolicious'};
my $value = j $bytes;

Encode Perl data structure (which may only be an array reference or hash reference) or decode JSON, an undef return value indicates a bare null or that decoding failed.

🦋 to_json 🦋

my $chars = to_json {i => '♥ mojolicious'};

Encode Perl value to JSON text without "UTF-8" encoding it.

🦋 true 🦋

my $true = true;

True value, used because Perl has no native equivalent.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Mojolicious
• Mojolicious::Guides
• https://mojolicious.org

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💖 okay bestie, that's the whole page! this User Contributed Perl Documentation page is from perl v5.42.0, dated 2026-07-15. mwah 💖