What it is
A text data format almost every program understands: services pass orders and statuses to each other in it, and settings and exports live in files a person can read.
How we use it
n8n workflows are exported as JSON files and kept in git, the subscription-sales bot makes its backup as a JSON dump, and the help desk PC program writes a computer's passport into a JSON report.
Where it matters to a business
A client rarely sees JSON directly, but it decides whether data can be moved and restored:
- an automation workflow has to move to another server;
- a bot's data backup must be readable without the bot itself;
- data from an old website has to be carried over to a new one.
How we use it
- n8n workflows. In lead automation every workflow is exported as a JSON file, imported on another server and kept in git.
- A backup. The subscription-sales bot makes a JSON dump of users, admins and the last 100 log records.
- A computer's passport. The PC program in the IT help desk writes a computer report in JSON, and a repeat report from the same machine gives a diff: a memory stick disappeared, the IP changed.
- A website move. In the move from Joomla content from the database dumps is saved as JSON, and the WordPress posts are created from it.
Common problems
- Secrets in the file. n8n keys and tokens do not go into an exported workflow; they are assigned again on the new server. That is how it should be.
- Passwords in a report. In the PC program, passwords are encrypted on the employee's computer before they reach the report.
When you do not need it
For tables that people read, Excel or a Google Sheet is more convenient. JSON is a format for programs and for moving data between them.