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Overview
Json.NET (Newtonsoft.Json) is a library for reading and writing JSON in .NET applications. It offers simple object conversion through JsonConvert, configurable control through JsonSerializer, dynamic manipulation with JObject and JArray in LINQ to JSON, and direct Reader/Writer streaming for workloads that need it.
Features and best fit
Based on official documentation; not hands-on tested · Content checked:
Key features
Move from simple conversion to dynamic JSON manipulation as needed
JsonConvert.SerializeObject and DeserializeObject provide a concise entry point between .NET objects and JSON strings. JsonSerializerSettings and JsonSerializer offer finer control. When JSON does not map cleanly to a class or only selected values matter, LINQ to JSON supplies JObject, JArray, and JValue APIs for parsing, creation, and queries.
Best fit
Fits .NET applications that must bridge model differences with settings and converters
Json.NET fits applications that need more than direct class mapping, including configurable naming, defaults, references, dates, and custom types. The same library also covers schema-light work through LINQ to JSON and incremental handling of large documents through Readers and Writers.
Before adoption
Review resolver reuse, memory behavior, and trimming or AOT compatibility
Creating a custom ContractResolver repeatedly adds type-inspection cost, so the performance guide recommends reusing it. For large documents, JsonTextReader and JsonTextWriter can avoid loading one large JSON string into memory. Release 13.0.4 added trimming and AOT compatibility annotations, but that does not make every usage pattern automatically compatible; inspect warnings and converter behavior in the target application. The project uses the MIT license.
Official sources
- [1]JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json — Introduction(2026-10-04)
- [2]JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json — Serializing JSON(2026-10-04)
- [3]JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json — LINQ to JSON(2026-10-04)
- [4]JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json — Performance(2026-10-04)
- [5]Json.NET 13.0.4 release(2026-10-04)
- [6]JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json — LICENSE(2026-10-04)
Supplemental curator note
The useful comparison point is its layered API: simple object conversion, dynamic JSON manipulation, and direct streaming are available without changing libraries. Applications using trimming or AOT should review the latest compatibility annotations and build warnings.
Try it in 3 steps
- 1
Create a disposable console application
With the .NET SDK installed, create a minimal console application so the check does not affect an existing project.
dotnet new console -n JsonNetQuickStart && cd JsonNetQuickStart - 2
Add the stable package
Pin the latest stable release reviewed for this guide.
dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json --version 13.0.4 - 3
Serialize an object to JSON
On a POSIX shell, replace Program.cs with the minimal example and confirm that formatted JSON is printed.
printf '%s\n' 'using Newtonsoft.Json;' 'Console.WriteLine(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new { Name = "Ada" }, Formatting.Indented));' > Program.cs && dotnet run
Growth
Growth trends · Last 30 days
11,311 Stars
Trend data is still being collected.
Development activity
Last 90 days · weekly
- Commits (last 30 days)
- 12
- Open PRs
- 73
Development activity is still being collected.
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Categories and tags
Categories
GitHub data
GitHub dataView detailed GitHub data
GitHub Topics
- json
- c-sharp
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