R Academy · Lesson

Parsing JSON with jsonlite

Convert JSON strings to R lists and data frames with fromJSON().

Lesson 1 of 413 steps

Parsing JSON with jsonlite is a free R Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 1 of 4. Any 3 lessons of this learning path are free to read in full — after that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus hands-on practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the R Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The R Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What Is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the universal data interchange format for APIs and web services. R's jsonlite package converts JSON to R objects (lists, data frames) and back, following tidy conventions.

library(jsonlite)
# JSON looks like:
# { "name": "Alice", "age": 30, "active": true }

# fromJSON parses JSON string to R object
json_str <- '{"name":"Alice","age":30,"active":true}'
result <- fromJSON(json_str)
class(result)   # 'list'
result$name     # 'Alice'
result$age      # 30 (numeric)
result$active   # TRUE (logical)

fromJSON(): Basic Parsing

fromJSON(txt) parses a JSON string, URL, or file path. It automatically converts JSON types: strings → character, numbers → numeric, booleans → logical, null → NA, arrays → vectors, objects → named lists.

library(jsonlite)
# Parsing different JSON types
fromJSON('"hello"')         # character: 'hello'
fromJSON('42')               # numeric: 42
fromJSON('true')             # logical: TRUE
fromJSON('null')             # NA
fromJSON('[1, 2, 3]')        # numeric vector: c(1,2,3)
fromJSON('["a", "b", "c"]') # character vector

# Nested object
json <- '{"x": 1, "y": [2, 3], "z": null}'
obj <- fromJSON(json)
obj$x  # 1
obj$y  # c(2, 3)
obj$z  # NA

toJSON(): Serializing R to JSON

toJSON(x) converts R objects to JSON strings. Use auto_unbox=TRUE to convert length-1 vectors to JSON scalars (not arrays). pretty=TRUE adds indentation for readability.

library(jsonlite)
# Basic serialization
toJSON(c(1, 2, 3))          # '[1,2,3]'
toJSON(list(a=1, b='two'))  # '{"a":[1],"b":["two"]}'

# auto_unbox: length-1 vectors become scalars
toJSON(list(name='Bob', age=25), auto_unbox = TRUE)
# '{"name":"Bob","age":25}'

# pretty printing
cat(toJSON(list(x=1, y=c(2,3)), pretty = TRUE))
# {
#   "x": [1],
#   "y": [2, 3]
# }

JSON Arrays to Data Frames

JSON arrays of objects automatically convert to data frames with fromJSON(). This is one of jsonlite's most useful features — API responses are often arrays of records, perfectly suited for data frames.

library(jsonlite)
# JSON array of objects -> data frame
json_array <- '[
  {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "score": 95},
  {"name": "Bob",   "age": 25, "score": 87},
  {"name": "Carol", "age": 35, "score": 92}
]'

df <- fromJSON(json_array)
class(df)   # 'data.frame'
nrow(df)    # 3
print(df)
# name age score
# Alice  30    95
# Bob    25    87
# Carol  35    92

Data Frame to JSON

Converting a data frame to JSON with toJSON(df) produces a JSON array of objects (one per row). This is the standard format for sending tabular data to web APIs.

library(jsonlite)
df <- data.frame(
  product = c('Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry'),
  price   = c(1.20, 0.50, 3.00),
  in_stock = c(TRUE, TRUE, FALSE),
  stringsAsFactors = FALSE
)

# Default: each value is an array (even scalars)
cat(toJSON(df, pretty = FALSE))

# auto_unbox: single values become JSON scalars
cat('\n---\n')
cat(toJSON(df, auto_unbox = TRUE, pretty = TRUE))

fromJSON() from a URL

fromJSON(url) can directly fetch and parse JSON from a URL. This is the simplest way to call a public JSON API that doesn't require authentication.

library(jsonlite)
# Read JSON directly from a URL (requires internet)
# Example: JSONPlaceholder (free test API)
# result <- fromJSON('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1')
# result$title   # todo title
# result$completed  # TRUE/FALSE

# Example: GitHub API
# repos <- fromJSON('https://api.github.com/users/hadley/repos')
# repos$name   # vector of repo names
# nrow(repos)  # number of repos returned

# Simulate with local JSON string:
result <- fromJSON('{"id":1,"title":"Learn R","completed":false}')
cat('Task:', result$title, '\nDone:', result$completed)

prettify() and minify()

prettify(json_string) adds indentation and newlines for human readability. minify(json_string) removes whitespace for compact transmission. Both operate on raw JSON strings.

library(jsonlite)
# Compact (minified) JSON
compact_json <- '{"name":"Alice","scores":[95,87,92],"active":true}'
cat('Minified:\n', compact_json, '\n\n')

# Prettify: add whitespace
cat('Prettified:\n')
cat(prettify(compact_json))
# {
#   "name": "Alice",
#   "scores": [95, 87, 92],
#   "active": true
# }

# Minify: remove whitespace
pretty_json <- prettify(compact_json)
cat('\nRe-minified:\n')
cat(minify(pretty_json))

flatten=TRUE for Nested Objects

When JSON has nested objects, fromJSON(json, flatten=TRUE) flattens nested keys into dotted column names, making it easier to work with as a data frame without manual unnesting.

library(jsonlite)
json <- '[
  {"id": 1, "user": {"name": "Alice", "city": "NY"}},
  {"id": 2, "user": {"name": "Bob",   "city": "LA"}}
]'

# Without flatten: nested list column
df_nested <- fromJSON(json)
class(df_nested$user)   # data.frame (nested!)

# With flatten: flat column names
df_flat <- fromJSON(json, flatten = TRUE)
names(df_flat)     # c('id', 'user.name', 'user.city')
print(df_flat)
# id user.name user.city
#  1     Alice        NY
#  2       Bob        LA

Handling JSON with NA and Missing Keys

JSON null maps to R's NA. Missing keys in JSON arrays (when one record has a field another lacks) are filled with NA in the resulting data frame.

library(jsonlite)
# JSON with null values
json_nulls <- '{"a": 1, "b": null, "c": "hello"}'
obj <- fromJSON(json_nulls)
obj$b  # NA
is.na(obj$b)  # TRUE

# Array with missing keys
json_missing <- '[
  {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "email": "a@b.com"},
  {"name": "Bob",   "age": 25}
]'
# 'email' missing from second record
df <- fromJSON(json_missing)
print(df)
# name age    email
# Alice  30  a@b.com
# Bob    25     <NA>

Writing JSON to Files

Use write_json() (or writeLines(toJSON(x), file)) to save R objects as JSON files. This is the standard output format for sharing data with web applications or APIs.

library(jsonlite)
results <- list(
  model = 'linear_regression',
  coefficients = list(intercept = 2.5, slope = 1.3),
  r_squared = 0.87,
  n_obs = 100
)

# Convert to JSON string
json_output <- toJSON(results, auto_unbox = TRUE, pretty = TRUE)
cat(json_output)

# Save to file (uncomment):
# write_json(results, 'model_results.json',
#            auto_unbox = TRUE, pretty = TRUE)
# Or equivalently:
# writeLines(json_output, 'model_results.json')

Validating JSON

validate(json_string) from jsonlite checks if a string is valid JSON, returning TRUE/FALSE. Useful before parsing, especially when handling user input or API responses that might be malformed.

library(jsonlite)
# Valid JSON
validate('{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}')  # TRUE
validate('[1, 2, 3]')                       # TRUE
validate('"just a string"')                # TRUE

# Invalid JSON
validate('{name: Alice}')     # FALSE (unquoted keys)
validate('[1, 2, 3,]')        # FALSE (trailing comma)
validate('')                   # FALSE

# Safe parsing pattern
safe_parse <- function(json) {
  if (!validate(json)) {
    warning('Invalid JSON')
    return(NULL)
  }
  fromJSON(json)
}
safe_parse('{"x": 1}')
safe_parse('{bad json}')

Quick Check

Test your knowledge of JSON parsing with jsonlite in R.

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap: JSON with jsonlite

Key takeaways: fromJSON() parses JSON strings, URLs, and files into R lists or data frames. toJSON() converts R to JSON — use auto_unbox=TRUE for scalars. prettify()/minify() format strings. flatten=TRUE flattens nested objects. JSON null becomes NA. validate() checks JSON validity before parsing.

library(jsonlite)
# Complete jsonlite workflow:

# Parse
df <- fromJSON('[{"a":1,"b":2},{"a":3,"b":4}]')
print(df)

# Serialize
json <- toJSON(df, auto_unbox = TRUE, pretty = FALSE)
cat(json, '\n')

# Flatten nested
nested <- fromJSON(
  '[{"id":1,"x":{"val":10}},{"id":2,"x":{"val":20}}]',
  flatten = TRUE
)
print(nested)

# Validate before parse
validate('{"key": "value"}')  # TRUE

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “Parsing JSON with jsonlite” lesson free?

Yes — any 3 lessons of the R Academy learning path, including “Parsing JSON with jsonlite”, are free to read in full here on the web. After that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus interactive practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. The R Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “Parsing JSON with jsonlite”?

Convert JSON strings to R lists and data frames with fromJSON(). You practise R Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start R Academy?

No prior experience is required. R Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 1 of 4.

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