jsoncons vs RapidJSON for C++ JSON parsing?

jsoncons excels with broader format support (CBOR, MessagePack) and advanced features like JSON Schema validation, while RapidJSON focuses on high-performance JSON parsing. jsoncons is header-only and offers more querying tools, but RapidJSON might be simpler for basic JSON tasks.

How to parse CBOR data with jsoncons in C++?

Include the cbor extension header, use cbor::decode_cbor() to parse CBOR into a json value or custom C++ structure, and access data via basic_json or cursor APIs. The README provides examples with variant-like and strongly-typed approaches.

Does jsoncons support JSON Schema validation?

Yes, jsoncons includes a jsonschema extension that supports multiple drafts (Drafts 4, 6, 7, 2019-9, 2020-12) of JSON Schema, allowing validation of JSON data against schemas in C++ applications.

What are the performance benchmarks for jsoncons compared to other libraries?

jsoncons provides benchmarks on its GitHub page, showing competitive performance for text and integer parsing, but results vary with data types and compilers. It's optimized for large texts but may have overhead for simple cases due to its feature set.

How to disable exceptions in jsoncons?

Define the macro JSONCONS_NO_EXCEPTIONS during compilation, which changes throws to std::terminate calls. However, this limits error handling and is not recommended for production code that needs graceful error recovery.

jsoncons or nlohmann/json for modern C++?

nlohmann/json is user-friendly with a modern API for JSON-only tasks, but jsoncons is better for projects needing binary format support, JSONPath queries, or JSON Schema validation. jsoncons offers more versatility but has a steeper learning curve.

Open-Awesome

jsoncons

NOASSERTIONC++v1.9.0

A C++ header-only library for JSON and JSON-like data formats with support for JSON Schema, JSONPath, CBOR, MessagePack, and more.

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What is jsoncons?

jsoncons is a C++ header-only library for constructing, parsing, and serializing JSON and JSON-like binary formats such as CBOR, MessagePack, and BSON. It solves the need for a high-performance, memory-efficient JSON library in C++ that also supports advanced features like JSON Schema validation, JSONPath queries, and strong typing via reflection.

Target Audience

C++ developers working with JSON data, especially those needing support for multiple data formats, large text processing, or integration with binary protocols like CBOR and MessagePack.

Value Proposition

Developers choose jsoncons for its comprehensive feature set, header-only design, and efficiency with large datasets. It uniquely combines JSON and binary format support with advanced querying and validation tools in a single library.

Overview

A C++, header-only library for constructing JSON and JSON-like data formats, with JSON Pointer, JSON Patch, JSON Schema, JSONPath, JMESPath, CSV, MessagePack, CBOR, BSON, UBJSON, toon-format

Use Cases

Best For

Parsing and generating large JSON texts efficiently in C++
Working with binary JSON-like formats such as CBOR or MessagePack
Implementing JSON Schema validation in C++ applications
Querying JSON data with JSONPath or JMESPath expressions
Converting between CSV and JSON formats
Building C++ applications that require strong typing for JSON data

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring only basic JSON parsing without support for binary formats or advanced queries
Embedded systems with strict memory constraints, as the library's extensive features may introduce overhead
Teams using compilers without C++11 support, since jsoncons mandates modern C++ standards
Applications where exceptions are disabled or error handling must avoid exception-based mechanisms

Pros & Cons

Pros

Broad Format Support

Handles JSON, CBOR, MessagePack, BSON, and more through extensions, enabling seamless multi-format data processing in a single library.

Efficient Large-Text Processing

Designed for high performance with very large JSON texts using cursor-level access for StAX-style pull parsing, ideal for streaming applications.

Strong Typing via Reflection

Supports mapping JSON to C++ structures with reflection traits, enabling type-safe serialization and deserialization without manual parsing.

Advanced Query Capabilities

Implements JSONPath, JMESPath, JSON Pointer, and JSON Patch, providing robust tools for querying and transforming JSON data directly in C++.

Cons

Steep Learning Curve

The API offers multiple usage modes (variant-like, strongly-typed, cursor-level), which can be overwhelming for developers needing only simple JSON operations.

Deprecation Management Overhead

The library includes deprecated names that require macro definitions like JSONCONS_NO_DEPRECATED to suppress, adding complexity for new code to avoid breaking changes.

Exception-Dependent Error Handling

Relies heavily on exceptions for error reporting; disabling them via JSONCONS_NO_EXCEPTIONS leads to std::terminate calls, which may not suit all environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

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