Posting JSON to the Server

What it JSON?

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a textual, language-neutral data interchange format that defines a small set of formatting rules for the portable representation of structured data. JSON can represent four primitive types (strings, numbers, booleans, and null) and two structured types (objects and arrays). JSON has been used to exchange data between applications written in many programming languages, including JavaScript, Java, C ++, C #, Go, PHP, Python, etc.

What is HTTP POST?

HTTP POST is a request method of an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used to create or update a resource on the server. The HTTP POST method is used to submit web forms and files and images to the server.

What MIME type should I use when posting JSON data to the server?

According to RFC4627, the official media type for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) objects is "application/json". When sending JSON data to the server using the HTTP POST, PUT, or PATCH methods, you must also add the "Content-Type: application/json" header to your request to tell the client about the data type in the request body. If the server returns JSON in its response, it must also provide a "Content-Type: application/json" response header so that the client can correctly understand and process the returned JSON.

Content-Type Header for JSON Syntax

The following is an example of a Content-Type header for JSON:

Content-Type: application/json

How to request JSON data from the server?

If your client expects JSON from the server, it must also send the Accept: application/json request header. If you don't send the Accept header, the server may return data in a different format. For example, if the server can handle both JSON and XML requests on the same API endpoint, setting the Accept request header to application/json will let the server know that the client is expecting JSON and will provide the data in that format rather than XML.

POST JSON Example

The following is an example of sending JSON data to ReqBin echo URL.

POST /echo/post/json HTTP/1.1
Host: reqbin.com
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 81
      
{
  "Id": 78912,
  "Customer": "Jason Sweet",
  "Quantity": 1,
  "Price": 18.00
}
  

The server response to our POST JSON request:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 19
      
{"success":"true"}

See also

• REST API POST Example
• JSON Content Type
• JSON Request Example
• JSON Response Example
• JSON Comments Example
• Online JSON Formatter