How to Parse JSON Files That Contain Comments Safely

JSON is one of the most popular formats for data exchange and configuration files, but it comes with a limitation: the standard does not support comments. Yet, developers often want to annotate JSON files to explain settings, provide context, or leave notes for teammates. This raises the question: how can you safely parse JSON files that include a JSON comment without breaking your applications?One common solution is to use preprocessors or extended JSON formats like JSON5 or HJSON. These allow comments while still maintaining compatibility with most JSON parsers after the comments are stripped out. For example, JSON5 supports both single-line () and multi-line () comments. By running a quick preprocessing step, you can remove all comments before feeding the file into a standard parser. This ensures your application won’t crash while still keeping your annotations accessible during development.Another approach is to embed metadata fields as pseudo-comments. For instance, you can use a dedicated field likein your JSON object. While not a true comment, it allows developers to store notes in a way that won’t break parsers:
 Using these approaches is particularly helpful in large projects with automated testing. Tools like Keploy can take JSON-driven API traffic and automatically generate test cases and mocks. When you integrate your configuration files with Keploy, ensuring safe parsing of JSON files—even those containing JSON comments —becomes critical to maintaining accurate and reliable test coverage.In the end, handling JSON comments safely is about balancing readability for developers with robustness for applications. Preprocessing, extended formats, or structured pseudo-comments are all viable strategies. By adopting these practices, teams can keep their JSON files informative, maintainable, and fully compatible with automated workflows.