Question 1

Is JSONKit still faster than NSJSONSerialization on modern iOS?

Accepted Answer

Based on 2011 benchmarks in the README, JSONKit was 25-40% faster than NSJSONSerialization, but performance on current iOS versions and hardware may vary, as Apple has likely optimized its built-in library since then.

Question 2

How do I parse JSON with comments using JSONKit?

Accepted Answer

Use the JKParseOptionComments flag when calling parsing methods, like -objectWithData:error: with options, to allow C-style // and /* ... */ comments in JSON, though this deviates from strict RFC compliance.

Question 3

JSONKit vs NSJSONSerialization for a new Objective-C app?

Accepted Answer

Choose JSONKit if you need maximum parsing speed and control over Unicode or gzip, but prefer NSJSONSerialization for ARC compatibility, thread safety, and Apple's ongoing support in modern iOS/macOS development.

Question 4

How to compress JSON with gzip in JSONKit?

Accepted Answer

Pass JKSerializeOptionCompress to -JSONDataWithOptions:error: when serializing Foundation objects, and JSONKit will automatically gzip the output; for parsing, it detects gzipped buffers via signature headers and decompresses them.

Question 5

Does JSONKit work with Swift code?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but with bridging overhead since it's Objective-C; you'll need to handle memory management manually (avoid ARC) and use interoperability features, which may negate some performance benefits in Swift-centric projects.

Question 6

What threading issues should I watch out for with JSONKit?

Accepted Answer

The README states that sharing a JSONDecoder instance across threads without mutex barriers is unsafe; ensure only one thread uses a decoder at a time, or create separate instances per thread to avoid race conditions.

Question 7

How to handle malformed Unicode in JSON with JSONKit?

Accepted Answer

Enable JKParseOptionLooseUnicode during parsing to substitute ill-formed Unicode sequences with U+FFFD (replacement character), following Unicode Standard recommendations, though this mutates the original JSON data.

JSONKit

What is JSONKit?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

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Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions