Data Formats

JSON, YAML, CSV and XML — specifications, edge cases, and the encoding bugs that quietly corrupt data.

Data FormatsAugust 26, 20264 min read
What Changed in JSON Schema Draft 2020-12 (And What Silently Breaks)
items became prefixItems, $ref stopped replacing siblings, and unevaluatedProperties arrived. What silently changed.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsAugust 26, 20264 min read
Base64 Is Not Encryption, and Three Other Things It Is Not
What Base64 actually does, why it makes files bigger, why btoa breaks on emoji, and when base64url is the one you need instead.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJuly 7, 20263 min read
XML vs JSON: Where XML Still Wins
A fair comparison — attributes, namespaces, schema validation, mixed content — and where XML is still the better choice.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJuly 2, 20263 min read
Converting CSV to JSON Correctly: Quoting, Types and Encoding
Why splitting on commas breaks real CSV, how RFC 4180 quoting works, and the traps that silently corrupt converted data.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJune 30, 20262 min read
JSON Schema Validation: Validating Shape, Not Just Syntax
How JSON Schema works, the keywords that matter, and why additionalProperties false is the setting most schemas are missing.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJune 23, 20262 min read
JSON vs YAML vs TOML: Choosing a Config Format
JSON, YAML and TOML compared for configuration — readability, comments, tooling, and the ways YAML surprises people.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJune 16, 20262 min read
Common JSON Errors and How to Fix Them Fast
The eight JSON syntax errors behind nearly every parse failure, what the messages mean, and how to find the problem fast.
The TweakPad Team
Data FormatsJune 9, 20263 min read
JSON Formatting Best Practices for APIs and Config Files
Naming, date formats, null handling and the structural choices that make JSON easy to consume — plus what the spec allows.
The TweakPad Team

What Changed in JSON Schema Draft 2020-12 (And What Silently Breaks)

Base64 Is Not Encryption, and Three Other Things It Is Not

XML vs JSON: Where XML Still Wins

Converting CSV to JSON Correctly: Quoting, Types and Encoding

JSON Schema Validation: Validating Shape, Not Just Syntax

JSON vs YAML vs TOML: Choosing a Config Format

Common JSON Errors and How to Fix Them Fast

JSON Formatting Best Practices for APIs and Config Files

What Changed in JSON Schema Draft 2020-12 (And What Silently Breaks)

Base64 Is Not Encryption, and Three Other Things It Is Not

XML vs JSON: Where XML Still Wins

Converting CSV to JSON Correctly: Quoting, Types and Encoding

JSON Schema Validation: Validating Shape, Not Just Syntax

JSON vs YAML vs TOML: Choosing a Config Format

Common JSON Errors and How to Fix Them Fast

JSON Formatting Best Practices for APIs and Config Files