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Revision 1.141 by root, Fri Oct 25 19:53:08 2013 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
4
3=encoding utf-8 5=encoding utf-8
4
5JSON::XS - JSON serialising/deserialising, done correctly and fast
6 6
7JSON::XS - 正しくて高速な JSON シリアライザ/デシリアライザ 7JSON::XS - 正しくて高速な JSON シリアライザ/デシリアライザ
8 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html) 8 (http://fleur.hio.jp/perldoc/mix/lib/JSON/XS.html)
9 9
10=head1 SYNOPSIS 10=head1 SYNOPSIS
37primary goal is to be I<correct> and its secondary goal is to be 37primary goal is to be I<correct> and its secondary goal is to be
38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C. 38I<fast>. To reach the latter goal it was written in C.
39 39
40Beginning with version 2.0 of the JSON module, when both JSON and 40Beginning with version 2.0 of the JSON module, when both JSON and
41JSON::XS are installed, then JSON will fall back on JSON::XS (this can be 41JSON::XS are installed, then JSON will fall back on JSON::XS (this can be
42overriden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheritign constructor 42overridden) with no overhead due to emulation (by inheriting constructor
43and methods). If JSON::XS is not available, it will fall back to the 43and methods). If JSON::XS is not available, it will fall back to the
44compatible JSON::PP module as backend, so using JSON instead of JSON::XS 44compatible JSON::PP module as backend, so using JSON instead of JSON::XS
45gives you a portable JSON API that can be fast when you need and doesn't 45gives you a portable JSON API that can be fast when you need and doesn't
46require a C compiler when that is a problem. 46require a C compiler when that is a problem.
47 47
49to write yet another JSON module? While it seems there are many JSON 49to write yet another JSON module? While it seems there are many JSON
50modules, none of them correctly handle all corner cases, and in most cases 50modules, none of them correctly handle all corner cases, and in most cases
51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug 51their maintainers are unresponsive, gone missing, or not listening to bug
52reports for other reasons. 52reports for other reasons.
53 53
54See COMPARISON, below, for a comparison to some other JSON modules.
55
56See MAPPING, below, on how JSON::XS maps perl values to JSON values and 54See MAPPING, below, on how JSON::XS maps perl values to JSON values and
57vice versa. 55vice versa.
58 56
59=head2 FEATURES 57=head2 FEATURES
60 58
65This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does 63This module knows how to handle Unicode, documents how and when it does
66so, and even documents what "correct" means. 64so, and even documents what "correct" means.
67 65
68=item * round-trip integrity 66=item * round-trip integrity
69 67
70When you serialise a perl data structure using only datatypes supported 68When you serialise a perl data structure using only data types supported
71by JSON, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl level. 69by JSON and Perl, the deserialised data structure is identical on the Perl
72(e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because it looks 70level. (e.g. the string "2.0" doesn't suddenly become "2" just because
73like a number). There minor I<are> exceptions to this, read the MAPPING 71it looks like a number). There I<are> minor exceptions to this, read the
74section below to learn about those. 72MAPPING section below to learn about those.
75 73
76=item * strict checking of JSON correctness 74=item * strict checking of JSON correctness
77 75
78There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default, 76There is no guessing, no generating of illegal JSON texts by default,
79and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security 77and only JSON is accepted as input by default (the latter is a security
84Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable, 82Compared to other JSON modules and other serialisers such as Storable,
85this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too. 83this module usually compares favourably in terms of speed, too.
86 84
87=item * simple to use 85=item * simple to use
88 86
89This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an objetc 87This module has both a simple functional interface as well as an object
90oriented interface interface. 88oriented interface.
91 89
92=item * reasonably versatile output formats 90=item * reasonably versatile output formats
93 91
94You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format 92You can choose between the most compact guaranteed-single-line format
95possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ascii format 93possible (nice for simple line-based protocols), a pure-ASCII format
96(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole 94(for when your transport is not 8-bit clean, still supports the whole
97Unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that 95Unicode range), or a pretty-printed format (for when you want to read that
98stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like. 96stuff). Or you can combine those features in whatever way you like.
99 97
100=back 98=back
101 99
102=cut 100=cut
103 101
104package JSON::XS; 102package JSON::XS;
105 103
106use strict; 104use common::sense;
107 105
108our $VERSION = '2.1'; 106our $VERSION = 2.34;
109our @ISA = qw(Exporter); 107our @ISA = qw(Exporter);
110 108
111our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json to_json from_json); 109our @EXPORT = qw(encode_json decode_json);
112
113sub to_json($) {
114 require Carp;
115 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::to_json has been renamed to encode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
116}
117
118sub from_json($) {
119 require Carp;
120 Carp::croak ("JSON::XS::from_json has been renamed to decode_json, either downgrade to pre-2.0 versions of JSON::XS or rename the call");
121}
122 110
123use Exporter; 111use Exporter;
124use XSLoader; 112use XSLoader;
125 113
126=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE 114=head1 FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE
137 125
138This function call is functionally identical to: 126This function call is functionally identical to:
139 127
140 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar) 128 $json_text = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ($perl_scalar)
141 129
142except being faster. 130Except being faster.
143 131
144=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text 132=item $perl_scalar = decode_json $json_text
145 133
146The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries 134The opposite of C<encode_json>: expects an UTF-8 (binary) string and tries
147to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting 135to parse that as an UTF-8 encoded JSON text, returning the resulting
149 137
150This function call is functionally identical to: 138This function call is functionally identical to:
151 139
152 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text) 140 $perl_scalar = JSON::XS->new->utf8->decode ($json_text)
153 141
154except being faster. 142Except being faster.
155 143
156=item $is_boolean = JSON::XS::is_bool $scalar 144=item $is_boolean = JSON::XS::is_bool $scalar
157 145
158Returns true if the passed scalar represents either JSON::XS::true or 146Returns true if the passed scalar represents either JSON::XS::true or
159JSON::XS::false, two constants that act like C<1> and C<0>, respectively 147JSON::XS::false, two constants that act like C<1> and C<0>, respectively
197 185
198If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't 186If you didn't know about that flag, just the better, pretend it doesn't
199exist. 187exist.
200 188
201=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be 189=item 4. A "Unicode String" is simply a string where each character can be
202validly interpreted as a Unicode codepoint. 190validly interpreted as a Unicode code point.
203 191
204If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a 192If you have UTF-8 encoded data, it is no longer a Unicode string, but a
205Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string. 193Unicode string encoded in UTF-8, giving you a binary string.
206 194
207=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string. 195=item 5. A string containing "high" (> 255) character values is I<not> a UTF-8 string.
434If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects 422If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method will output JSON objects
435by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead. 423by sorting their keys. This is adding a comparatively high overhead.
436 424
437If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value 425If C<$enable> is false, then the C<encode> method will output key-value
438pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs 426pairs in the order Perl stores them (which will likely change between runs
439of the same script). 427of the same script, and can change even within the same run from 5.18
428onwards).
440 429
441This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as 430This option is useful if you want the same data structure to be encoded as
442the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled, 431the same JSON text (given the same overall settings). If it is disabled,
443the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data, 432the same hash might be encoded differently even if contains the same data,
444as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl. 433as key-value pairs have no inherent ordering in Perl.
445 434
446This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts. 435This setting has no effect when decoding JSON texts.
447 436
437This setting has currently no effect on tied hashes.
438
448=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable]) 439=item $json = $json->allow_nonref ([$enable])
449 440
450=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref 441=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_nonref
451 442
452If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a 443If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then the C<encode> method can convert a
462Example, encode a Perl scalar as JSON value with enabled C<allow_nonref>, 453Example, encode a Perl scalar as JSON value with enabled C<allow_nonref>,
463resulting in an invalid JSON text: 454resulting in an invalid JSON text:
464 455
465 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!") 456 JSON::XS->new->allow_nonref->encode ("Hello, World!")
466 => "Hello, World!" 457 => "Hello, World!"
458
459=item $json = $json->allow_unknown ([$enable])
460
461=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_unknown
462
463If C<$enable> is true (or missing), then C<encode> will I<not> throw an
464exception when it encounters values it cannot represent in JSON (for
465example, filehandles) but instead will encode a JSON C<null> value. Note
466that blessed objects are not included here and are handled separately by
467c<allow_nonref>.
468
469If C<$enable> is false (the default), then C<encode> will throw an
470exception when it encounters anything it cannot encode as JSON.
471
472This option does not affect C<decode> in any way, and it is recommended to
473leave it off unless you know your communications partner.
467 474
468=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable]) 475=item $json = $json->allow_blessed ([$enable])
469 476
470=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed 477=item $enabled = $json->get_allow_blessed
471 478
612=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) 619=item $json = $json->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth])
613 620
614=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth 621=item $max_depth = $json->get_max_depth
615 622
616Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding 623Sets the maximum nesting level (default C<512>) accepted while encoding
617or decoding. If the JSON text or Perl data structure has an equal or 624or decoding. If a higher nesting level is detected in JSON text or a Perl
618higher nesting level then this limit, then the encoder and decoder will 625data structure, then the encoder and decoder will stop and croak at that
619stop and croak at that point. 626point.
620 627
621Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder 628Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the encoder
622needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[> 629needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of C<{> or C<[>
623characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a 630characters without their matching closing parenthesis crossed to reach a
624given character in a string. 631given character in a string.
625 632
626Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures 633Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that ensures
627that the object is only a single hash/object or array. 634that the object is only a single hash/object or array.
628 635
629The argument to C<max_depth> will be rounded up to the next highest power
630of two. If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be 636If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be used, which
631used, which is rarely useful. 637is rarely useful.
638
639Note that nesting is implemented by recursion in C. The default value has
640been chosen to be as large as typical operating systems allow without
641crashing.
632 642
633See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 643See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
634 644
635=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) 645=item $json = $json->max_size ([$maximum_string_size])
636 646
637=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size 647=item $max_size = $json->get_max_size
638 648
639Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is 649Set the maximum length a JSON text may have (in bytes) where decoding is
640being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode> 650being attempted. The default is C<0>, meaning no limit. When C<decode>
641is called on a string longer then this number of characters it will not 651is called on a string that is longer then this many bytes, it will not
642attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no 652attempt to decode the string but throw an exception. This setting has no
643effect on C<encode> (yet). 653effect on C<encode> (yet).
644 654
645The argument to C<max_size> will be rounded up to the next B<highest> 655If no argument is given, the limit check will be deactivated (same as when
646power of two (so may be more than requested). If no argument is given, the 656C<0> is specified).
647limit check will be deactivated (same as when C<0> is specified).
648 657
649See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful. 658See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is useful.
650 659
651=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar) 660=item $json_text = $json->encode ($perl_scalar)
652 661
653Converts the given Perl data structure (a simple scalar or a reference 662Converts the given Perl value or data structure to its JSON
654to a hash or array) to its JSON representation. Simple scalars will be 663representation. Croaks on error.
655converted into JSON string or number sequences, while references to arrays
656become JSON arrays and references to hashes become JSON objects. Undefined
657Perl values (e.g. C<undef>) become JSON C<null> values. Neither C<true>
658nor C<false> values will be generated.
659 664
660=item $perl_scalar = $json->decode ($json_text) 665=item $perl_scalar = $json->decode ($json_text)
661 666
662The opposite of C<encode>: expects a JSON text and tries to parse it, 667The opposite of C<encode>: expects a JSON text and tries to parse it,
663returning the resulting simple scalar or reference. Croaks on error. 668returning the resulting simple scalar or reference. Croaks on error.
664
665JSON numbers and strings become simple Perl scalars. JSON arrays become
666Perl arrayrefs and JSON objects become Perl hashrefs. C<true> becomes
667C<1>, C<false> becomes C<0> and C<null> becomes C<undef>.
668 669
669=item ($perl_scalar, $characters) = $json->decode_prefix ($json_text) 670=item ($perl_scalar, $characters) = $json->decode_prefix ($json_text)
670 671
671This works like the C<decode> method, but instead of raising an exception 672This works like the C<decode> method, but instead of raising an exception
672when there is trailing garbage after the first JSON object, it will 673when there is trailing garbage after the first JSON object, it will
682 683
683=back 684=back
684 685
685 686
686=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING 687=head1 INCREMENTAL PARSING
687
688[This section is still EXPERIMENTAL]
689 688
690In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON 689In some cases, there is the need for incremental parsing of JSON
691texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting 690texts. While this module always has to keep both JSON text and resulting
692Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a 691Perl data structure in memory at one time, it does allow you to parse a
693JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has 692JSON stream incrementally. It does so by accumulating text until it has
694a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to 693a full JSON object, which it then can decode. This process is similar to
695using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but is 694using C<decode_prefix> to see if a full JSON object is available, but
696much more efficient (JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text 695is much more efficient (and can be implemented with a minimum of method
696calls).
697
698JSON::XS will only attempt to parse the JSON text once it is sure it
697once it is sure it has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very 699has enough text to get a decisive result, using a very simple but
698simple but truly incremental parser). 700truly incremental parser. This means that it sometimes won't stop as
701early as the full parser, for example, it doesn't detect mismatched
702parentheses. The only thing it guarantees is that it starts decoding as
703soon as a syntactically valid JSON text has been seen. This means you need
704to set resource limits (e.g. C<max_size>) to ensure the parser will stop
705parsing in the presence if syntax errors.
699 706
700The following two methods deal with this. 707The following methods implement this incremental parser.
701 708
702=over 4 709=over 4
703 710
704=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string]) 711=item [void, scalar or list context] = $json->incr_parse ([$string])
705 712
714return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text 721return without doing anything further. This can be used to add more text
715in as many chunks as you want. 722in as many chunks as you want.
716 723
717If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract 724If the method is called in scalar context, then it will try to extract
718exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this 725exactly I<one> JSON object. If that is successful, it will return this
719object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. This is the most common way of 726object, otherwise it will return C<undef>. If there is a parse error,
727this method will croak just as C<decode> would do (one can then use
728C<incr_skip> to skip the erroneous part). This is the most common way of
720using the method. 729using the method.
721 730
722And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects 731And finally, in list context, it will try to extract as many objects
723from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list 732from the stream as it can find and return them, or the empty list
724otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators between the JSON 733otherwise. For this to work, there must be no separators between the JSON
725objects or arrays, instead they must be concatenated back-to-back. 734objects or arrays, instead they must be concatenated back-to-back. If
735an error occurs, an exception will be raised as in the scalar context
736case. Note that in this case, any previously-parsed JSON texts will be
737lost.
738
739Example: Parse some JSON arrays/objects in a given string and return
740them.
741
742 my @objs = JSON::XS->new->incr_parse ("[5][7][1,2]");
726 743
727=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text 744=item $lvalue_string = $json->incr_text
728 745
729This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that 746This method returns the currently stored JSON fragment as an lvalue, that
730is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to 747is, you can manipulate it. This I<only> works when a preceding call to
735method before having parsed anything. 752method before having parsed anything.
736 753
737This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a 754This function is useful in two cases: a) finding the trailing text after a
738JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text 755JSON object or b) parsing multiple JSON objects separated by non-JSON text
739(such as commas). 756(such as commas).
757
758=item $json->incr_skip
759
760This will reset the state of the incremental parser and will remove
761the parsed text from the input buffer so far. This is useful after
762C<incr_parse> died, in which case the input buffer and incremental parser
763state is left unchanged, to skip the text parsed so far and to reset the
764parse state.
765
766The difference to C<incr_reset> is that only text until the parse error
767occurred is removed.
768
769=item $json->incr_reset
770
771This completely resets the incremental parser, that is, after this call,
772it will be as if the parser had never parsed anything.
773
774This is useful if you want to repeatedly parse JSON objects and want to
775ignore any trailing data, which means you have to reset the parser after
776each successful decode.
740 777
741=back 778=back
742 779
743=head2 LIMITATIONS 780=head2 LIMITATIONS
744 781
933If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent 970If the number consists of digits only, JSON::XS will try to represent
934it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as 971it as an integer value. If that fails, it will try to represent it as
935a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of 972a numeric (floating point) value if that is possible without loss of
936precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in 973precision. Otherwise it will preserve the number as a string value (in
937which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be 974which case you lose roundtripping ability, as the JSON number will be
938re-encoded toa JSON string). 975re-encoded to a JSON string).
939 976
940Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be 977Numbers containing a fractional or exponential part will always be
941represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of 978represented as numeric (floating point) values, possibly at a loss of
942precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but 979precision (in which case you might lose perfect roundtripping ability, but
943the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number). 980the JSON number will still be re-encoded as a JSON number).
981
982Note that precision is not accuracy - binary floating point values cannot
983represent most decimal fractions exactly, and when converting from and to
984floating point, JSON::XS only guarantees precision up to but not including
985the least significant bit.
944 986
945=item true, false 987=item true, false
946 988
947These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>, 989These JSON atoms become C<JSON::XS::true> and C<JSON::XS::false>,
948respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers 990respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the numbers
985Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an 1027Other unblessed references are generally not allowed and will cause an
986exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and 1028exception to be thrown, except for references to the integers C<0> and
987C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can 1029C<1>, which get turned into C<false> and C<true> atoms in JSON. You can
988also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability. 1030also use C<JSON::XS::false> and C<JSON::XS::true> to improve readability.
989 1031
990 encode_json [\0,JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true] 1032 encode_json [\0, JSON::XS::true] # yields [false,true]
991 1033
992=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false 1034=item JSON::XS::true, JSON::XS::false
993 1035
994These special values become JSON true and JSON false values, 1036These special values become JSON true and JSON false values,
995respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want. 1037respectively. You can also use C<\1> and C<\0> directly if you want.
1035 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours. 1077 $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours.
1036 1078
1037You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me 1079You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. Tell me
1038if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed 1080if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why it's needed
1039:). 1081:).
1082
1083Note that numerical precision has the same meaning as under Perl (so
1084binary to decimal conversion follows the same rules as in Perl, which
1085can differ to other languages). Also, your perl interpreter might expose
1086extensions to the floating point numbers of your platform, such as
1087infinities or NaN's - these cannot be represented in JSON, and it is an
1088error to pass those in.
1040 1089
1041=back 1090=back
1042 1091
1043 1092
1044=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES 1093=head1 ENCODING/CODESET FLAG NOTES
1071=item C<utf8> flag disabled 1120=item C<utf8> flag disabled
1072 1121
1073When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate 1122When C<utf8> is disabled (the default), then C<encode>/C<decode> generate
1074and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode 1123and expect Unicode strings, that is, characters with high ordinal Unicode
1075values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such 1124values (> 255) will be encoded as such characters, and likewise such
1076characters are decoded as-is, no canges to them will be done, except 1125characters are decoded as-is, no changes to them will be done, except
1077"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters, 1126"(re-)interpreting" them as Unicode codepoints or Unicode characters,
1078respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do 1127respectively (to Perl, these are the same thing in strings unless you do
1079funny/weird/dumb stuff). 1128funny/weird/dumb stuff).
1080 1129
1081This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you 1130This is useful when you want to do the encoding yourself (e.g. when you
1137proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world. 1186proper subset of most 8-bit and multibyte encodings in use in the world.
1138 1187
1139=back 1188=back
1140 1189
1141 1190
1142=head1 COMPARISON 1191=head2 JSON and ECMAscript
1143 1192
1144As already mentioned, this module was created because none of the existing 1193JSON syntax is based on how literals are represented in javascript (the
1145JSON modules could be made to work correctly. First I will describe the 1194not-standardised predecessor of ECMAscript) which is presumably why it is
1146problems (or pleasures) I encountered with various existing JSON modules, 1195called "JavaScript Object Notation".
1147followed by some benchmark values. JSON::XS was designed not to suffer
1148from any of these problems or limitations.
1149 1196
1150=over 4 1197However, JSON is not a subset (and also not a superset of course) of
1198ECMAscript (the standard) or javascript (whatever browsers actually
1199implement).
1151 1200
1152=item JSON 2.xx 1201If you want to use javascript's C<eval> function to "parse" JSON, you
1202might run into parse errors for valid JSON texts, or the resulting data
1203structure might not be queryable:
1153 1204
1154A marvellous piece of engineering, this module either uses JSON::XS 1205One of the problems is that U+2028 and U+2029 are valid characters inside
1155directly when available (so will be 100% compatible with it, including 1206JSON strings, but are not allowed in ECMAscript string literals, so the
1156speed), or it uses JSON::PP, which is basically JSON::XS translated to 1207following Perl fragment will not output something that can be guaranteed
1157Pure Perl, which should be 100% compatible with JSON::XS, just a bit 1208to be parsable by javascript's C<eval>:
1158slower.
1159 1209
1160You cannot really lose by using this module, especially as it tries very 1210 use JSON::XS;
1161hard to work even with ancient Perl versions, while JSON::XS does not.
1162 1211
1163=item JSON 1.07 1212 print encode_json [chr 0x2028];
1164 1213
1165Slow (but very portable, as it is written in pure Perl). 1214The right fix for this is to use a proper JSON parser in your javascript
1215programs, and not rely on C<eval> (see for example Douglas Crockford's
1216F<json2.js> parser).
1166 1217
1167Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling (how JSON handles Unicode values is 1218If this is not an option, you can, as a stop-gap measure, simply encode to
1168undocumented. One can get far by feeding it Unicode strings and doing 1219ASCII-only JSON:
1169en-/decoding oneself, but Unicode escapes are not working properly).
1170 1220
1171No round-tripping (strings get clobbered if they look like numbers, e.g. 1221 use JSON::XS;
1172the string C<2.0> will encode to C<2.0> instead of C<"2.0">, and that will
1173decode into the number 2.
1174 1222
1175=item JSON::PC 0.01 1223 print JSON::XS->new->ascii->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
1176 1224
1177Very fast. 1225Note that this will enlarge the resulting JSON text quite a bit if you
1226have many non-ASCII characters. You might be tempted to run some regexes
1227to only escape U+2028 and U+2029, e.g.:
1178 1228
1179Undocumented/buggy Unicode handling. 1229 # DO NOT USE THIS!
1230 my $json = JSON::XS->new->utf8->encode ([chr 0x2028]);
1231 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa8/\\u2028/g; # escape U+2028
1232 $json =~ s/\xe2\x80\xa9/\\u2029/g; # escape U+2029
1233 print $json;
1180 1234
1181No round-tripping. 1235Note that I<this is a bad idea>: the above only works for U+2028 and
1236U+2029 and thus only for fully ECMAscript-compliant parsers. Many existing
1237javascript implementations, however, have issues with other characters as
1238well - using C<eval> naively simply I<will> cause problems.
1182 1239
1183Has problems handling many Perl values (e.g. regex results and other magic 1240Another problem is that some javascript implementations reserve
1184values will make it croak). 1241some property names for their own purposes (which probably makes
1242them non-ECMAscript-compliant). For example, Iceweasel reserves the
1243C<__proto__> property name for its own purposes.
1185 1244
1186Does not even generate valid JSON (C<{1,2}> gets converted to C<{1:2}> 1245If that is a problem, you could parse try to filter the resulting JSON
1187which is not a valid JSON text. 1246output for these property strings, e.g.:
1188 1247
1189Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not 1248 $json =~ s/"__proto__"\s*:/"__proto__renamed":/g;
1190getting fixed).
1191 1249
1192=item JSON::Syck 0.21 1250This works because C<__proto__> is not valid outside of strings, so every
1251occurrence of C<"__proto__"\s*:> must be a string used as property name.
1193 1252
1194Very buggy (often crashes). 1253If you know of other incompatibilities, please let me know.
1195
1196Very inflexible (no human-readable format supported, format pretty much
1197undocumented. I need at least a format for easy reading by humans and a
1198single-line compact format for use in a protocol, and preferably a way to
1199generate ASCII-only JSON texts).
1200
1201Completely broken (and confusingly documented) Unicode handling (Unicode
1202escapes are not working properly, you need to set ImplicitUnicode to
1203I<different> values on en- and decoding to get symmetric behaviour).
1204
1205No round-tripping (simple cases work, but this depends on whether the scalar
1206value was used in a numeric context or not).
1207
1208Dumping hashes may skip hash values depending on iterator state.
1209
1210Unmaintained (maintainer unresponsive for many months, bugs are not
1211getting fixed).
1212
1213Does not check input for validity (i.e. will accept non-JSON input and
1214return "something" instead of raising an exception. This is a security
1215issue: imagine two banks transferring money between each other using
1216JSON. One bank might parse a given non-JSON request and deduct money,
1217while the other might reject the transaction with a syntax error. While a
1218good protocol will at least recover, that is extra unnecessary work and
1219the transaction will still not succeed).
1220
1221=item JSON::DWIW 0.04
1222
1223Very fast. Very natural. Very nice.
1224
1225Undocumented Unicode handling (but the best of the pack. Unicode escapes
1226still don't get parsed properly).
1227
1228Very inflexible.
1229
1230No round-tripping.
1231
1232Does not generate valid JSON texts (key strings are often unquoted, empty keys
1233result in nothing being output)
1234
1235Does not check input for validity.
1236
1237=back
1238 1254
1239 1255
1240=head2 JSON and YAML 1256=head2 JSON and YAML
1241 1257
1242You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass 1258You often hear that JSON is a subset of YAML. This is, however, a mass
1252 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n"; 1268 my $yaml = $to_yaml->encode ($ref) . "\n";
1253 1269
1254This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid 1270This will I<usually> generate JSON texts that also parse as valid
1255YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key 1271YAML. Please note that YAML has hardcoded limits on (simple) object key
1256lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible 1272lengths that JSON doesn't have and also has different and incompatible
1257unicode handling, so you should make sure that your hash keys are 1273unicode character escape syntax, so you should make sure that your hash
1258noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows and that 1274keys are noticeably shorter than the 1024 "stream characters" YAML allows
1259you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the Unicode BMP 1275and that you do not have characters with codepoint values outside the
1260(basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/> sequences in 1276Unicode BMP (basic multilingual page). YAML also does not allow C<\/>
1261strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but other JSON 1277sequences in strings (which JSON::XS does not I<currently> generate, but
1262generators might). 1278other JSON generators might).
1263 1279
1264There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML 1280There might be other incompatibilities that I am not aware of (or the YAML
1265specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In 1281specification has been changed yet again - it does so quite often). In
1266general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice 1282general you should not try to generate YAML with a JSON generator or vice
1267versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are 1283versa, or try to parse JSON with a YAML parser or vice versa: chances are
1286that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and 1302that difficult or long) and finally make YAML compatible to it, and
1287educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the 1303educating users about the changes, instead of spreading lies about the
1288real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who 1304real compatibility for many I<years> and trying to silence people who
1289point out that it isn't true. 1305point out that it isn't true.
1290 1306
1307Addendum/2009: the YAML 1.2 spec is still incompatible with JSON, even
1308though the incompatibilities have been documented (and are known to Brian)
1309for many years and the spec makes explicit claims that YAML is a superset
1310of JSON. It would be so easy to fix, but apparently, bullying people and
1311corrupting userdata is so much easier.
1312
1291=back 1313=back
1292 1314
1293 1315
1294=head2 SPEED 1316=head2 SPEED
1295 1317
1300 1322
1301First comes a comparison between various modules using 1323First comes a comparison between various modules using
1302a very short single-line JSON string (also available at 1324a very short single-line JSON string (also available at
1303L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>). 1325L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/short.json>).
1304 1326
1305 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1", "we were just talking"], \ 1327 {"method": "handleMessage", "params": ["user1",
1306 "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7, true, false]} 1328 "we were just talking"], "id": null, "array":[1,11,234,-5,1e5,1e7,
1329 1, 0]}
1307 1330
1308It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses 1331It shows the number of encodes/decodes per second (JSON::XS uses
1309the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface 1332the functional interface, while JSON::XS/2 uses the OO interface
1310with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables 1333with pretty-printing and hashkey sorting enabled, JSON::XS/3 enables
1311shrink). Higher is better: 1334shrink. JSON::DWIW/DS uses the deserialise function, while JSON::DWIW::FJ
1335uses the from_json method). Higher is better:
1312 1336
1313 module | encode | decode | 1337 module | encode | decode |
1314 -----------|------------|------------| 1338 --------------|------------|------------|
1315 JSON 1.x | 4990.842 | 4088.813 | 1339 JSON::DWIW/DS | 86302.551 | 102300.098 |
1316 JSON::DWIW | 51653.990 | 71575.154 | 1340 JSON::DWIW/FJ | 86302.551 | 75983.768 |
1317 JSON::PC | 65948.176 | 74631.744 | 1341 JSON::PP | 15827.562 | 6638.658 |
1318 JSON::PP | 8931.652 | 3817.168 | 1342 JSON::Syck | 63358.066 | 47662.545 |
1319 JSON::Syck | 24877.248 | 27776.848 | 1343 JSON::XS | 511500.488 | 511500.488 |
1320 JSON::XS | 388361.481 | 227951.304 | 1344 JSON::XS/2 | 291271.111 | 388361.481 |
1321 JSON::XS/2 | 227951.304 | 218453.333 | 1345 JSON::XS/3 | 361577.931 | 361577.931 |
1322 JSON::XS/3 | 338250.323 | 218453.333 | 1346 Storable | 66788.280 | 265462.278 |
1323 Storable | 16500.016 | 135300.129 |
1324 -----------+------------+------------+ 1347 --------------+------------+------------+
1325 1348
1326That is, JSON::XS is about five times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding, 1349That is, JSON::XS is almost six times faster than JSON::DWIW on encoding,
1327about three times faster on decoding, and over forty times faster 1350about five times faster on decoding, and over thirty to seventy times
1328than JSON, even with pretty-printing and key sorting. It also compares 1351faster than JSON's pure perl implementation. It also compares favourably
1329favourably to Storable for small amounts of data. 1352to Storable for small amounts of data.
1330 1353
1331Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals 1354Using a longer test string (roughly 18KB, generated from Yahoo! Locals
1332search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>). 1355search API (L<http://dist.schmorp.de/misc/json/long.json>).
1333 1356
1334 module | encode | decode | 1357 module | encode | decode |
1335 -----------|------------|------------| 1358 --------------|------------|------------|
1336 JSON 1.x | 55.260 | 34.971 | 1359 JSON::DWIW/DS | 1647.927 | 2673.916 |
1337 JSON::DWIW | 825.228 | 1082.513 | 1360 JSON::DWIW/FJ | 1630.249 | 2596.128 |
1338 JSON::PC | 3571.444 | 2394.829 |
1339 JSON::PP | 210.987 | 32.574 | 1361 JSON::PP | 400.640 | 62.311 |
1340 JSON::Syck | 552.551 | 787.544 | 1362 JSON::Syck | 1481.040 | 1524.869 |
1341 JSON::XS | 5780.463 | 4854.519 | 1363 JSON::XS | 20661.596 | 9541.183 |
1342 JSON::XS/2 | 3869.998 | 4798.975 | 1364 JSON::XS/2 | 10683.403 | 9416.938 |
1343 JSON::XS/3 | 5862.880 | 4798.975 | 1365 JSON::XS/3 | 20661.596 | 9400.054 |
1344 Storable | 4445.002 | 5235.027 | 1366 Storable | 19765.806 | 10000.725 |
1345 -----------+------------+------------+ 1367 --------------+------------+------------+
1346 1368
1347Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly 1369Again, JSON::XS leads by far (except for Storable which non-surprisingly
1348decodes faster). 1370decodes a bit faster).
1349 1371
1350On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules 1372On large strings containing lots of high Unicode characters, some modules
1351(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result 1373(such as JSON::PC) seem to decode faster than JSON::XS, but the result
1352will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse 1374will be broken due to missing (or wrong) Unicode handling. Others refuse
1353to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair 1375to decode or encode properly, so it was impossible to prepare a fair
1389information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS 1411information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by JSON::XS
1390will not end up in front of untrusted eyes. 1412will not end up in front of untrusted eyes.
1391 1413
1392If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption 1414If you are using JSON::XS to return packets to consumption
1393by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at 1415by JavaScript scripts in a browser you should have a look at
1394L<http://jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security> to see whether 1416L<http://blog.archive.jpsykes.com/47/practical-csrf-and-json-security/> to
1395you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really are browser 1417see whether you are vulnerable to some common attack vectors (which really
1396design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with it, as major 1418are browser design bugs, but it is still you who will have to deal with
1397browser developers care only for features, not about getting security 1419it, as major browser developers care only for features, not about getting
1398right). 1420security right).
1399 1421
1400 1422
1401=head1 THREADS 1423=head1 THREADS
1402 1424
1403This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no 1425This module is I<not> guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no
1406process simulations - use fork, it's I<much> faster, cheaper, better). 1428process simulations - use fork, it's I<much> faster, cheaper, better).
1407 1429
1408(It might actually work, but you have been warned). 1430(It might actually work, but you have been warned).
1409 1431
1410 1432
1433=head1 THE PERILS OF SETLOCALE
1434
1435Sometimes people avoid the Perl locale support and directly call the
1436system's setlocale function with C<LC_ALL>.
1437
1438This breaks both perl and modules such as JSON::XS, as stringification of
1439numbers no longer works correctly (e.g. C<$x = 0.1; print "$x"+1> might
1440print C<1>, and JSON::XS might output illegal JSON as JSON::XS relies on
1441perl to stringify numbers).
1442
1443The solution is simple: don't call C<setlocale>, or use it for only those
1444categories you need, such as C<LC_MESSAGES> or C<LC_CTYPE>.
1445
1446If you need C<LC_NUMERIC>, you should enable it only around the code that
1447actually needs it (avoiding stringification of numbers), and restore it
1448afterwards.
1449
1450
1411=head1 BUGS 1451=head1 BUGS
1412 1452
1413While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does 1453While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does
1414not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. It is 1454not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. If you
1415still relatively early in its development. If you keep reporting bugs they 1455keep reporting bugs they will be fixed swiftly, though.
1416will be fixed swiftly, though.
1417 1456
1418Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting 1457Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting
1419service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason. 1458service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason.
1420 1459
1421=cut 1460=cut

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