Yair Lenga - Python Articles https://yairlenga.github.io/articles/ Python and systems programming articles en-us jsonfold: Making Pretty-Printed JSON Compact and Readable Again in Python https://medium.com/@yair.lenga/a-streaming-json-formatter-that-works-with-existing-serializers-eced220da37d https://medium.com/@yair.lenga/a-streaming-json-formatter-that-works-with-existing-serializers-eced220da37d Wed, 27 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT python json Most JSON serializers force a choice between compact machine output and fully expanded pretty-printing. This article explores a middle ground: a hybrid JSON formatter for Python that keeps nested payloads readable while still remaining compact.

Example output: 

{
  "meta": { "version": 1, "ok": true },
  "ids": [ 1, 2, 3, 4 ],
  "matrix": [ [1, 2], [3, 4] ]
}

The article also discusses streaming formatting, bounded buffering, width-aware layout decisions, and incremental processing without reparsing the full JSON tree.

Source code: github.com/yairlenga/jsonfold

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