Free Sample JSON Data for Testing (2026)

Overview

Every developer needs reliable sample data. Whether you're testing a new API endpoint, prototyping a frontend component, or debugging a parsing error, having the right snippet at your fingertips saves valuable time.

In this guide, we've curated a collection of copy-paste ready examples ranging from simple user profiles to complex nested structures and GeoJSON data.

Why Use Sample Data?

Mock data serves several critical roles in the development lifecycle: * Frontend Prototyping: Build UI components before the backend API is ready. * Unit Testing: Validate your data parsing logic with consistent inputs. * Performance Testing: Check how your application handles large datasets. * Documentation: Provide clear examples of API responses for other developers. * Tool Validation: Test validators, formatters, and converters with various data structures and edge cases.

Ready-to-Use Code Snippets

Here are standard data format patterns you can copy, download, or test live in our editor.

1. Simple User Profile

A flat object representing a single entity. Perfect for testing user cards or profile pages.

Use Case: User authentication, profile management, account systems.

json{
  "id": 101,
  "username": "codewizard",
  "fullName": "Alice Johnson",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "isActive": true,
  "role": "admin",
  "lastLogin": "2025-01-15T08:30:00Z"
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

2. Product List (Array of Objects)

A common structure for e-commerce sites or dashboards. Useful for testing lists, tables, and grid views.

Use Case: E-commerce platforms, inventory management, product catalogs.

json[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones",
    "price": 299.99,
    "inStock": true,
    "categories": ["electronics", "audio"]
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Ergonomic Office Chair",
    "price": 149.50,
    "inStock": false,
    "categories": ["furniture", "office"]
  },
  {
    "id": 3,
    "name": "Mechanical Keyboard",
    "price": 120.00,
    "inStock": true,
    "categories": ["electronics", "accessories"]
  }
]

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

3. Complex Nested Data (Order with Items)

Testing how your application handles depth is crucial. This example includes an object containing arrays of objects.

Use Case: Order processing, invoices, data visualization.

json{
  "orderId": "ORD-2025-5821",
  "status": "shipped",
  "customer": {
    "id": 842,
    "name": "Michael Chen",
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Tech Park Blvd",
      "city": "San Francisco",
      "zip": "94105",
      "country": "USA"
    }
  },
  "items": [
    {
      "productId": 1,
      "name": "Wireless Headphones",
      "quantity": 1,
      "unitPrice": 299.99
    },
    {
      "productId": 42,
      "name": "USB-C Cable",
      "quantity": 2,
      "unitPrice": 15.00
    }
  ],
  "payment": {
    "method": "credit_card",
    "transactionId": "tx_987654321",
    "amount": 329.99
  }
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

4. Geographic Data Format

This format encodes a variety of geographic data structures for mapping and spatial analysis.

Use Case: Mapping applications, location services, spatial analysis.

json{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [102.0, 0.5]
      },
      "properties": {
        "prop0": "value0"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "LineString",
        "coordinates": [
          [102.0, 0.0],
          [103.0, 1.0],
          [104.0, 0.0],
          [105.0, 1.0]
        ]
      },
      "properties": {
        "prop0": "value0",
        "prop1": 0.0
      }
    }
  ]
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

5. Configuration File (package.json)

Standard configuration format for Node.js projects.

Use Case: Project setup, dependency management, build scripts.

json{
  "name": "my-awesome-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "A sample Node.js project configuration",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "test": "jest"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "express": "^4.18.2",
    "react": "^18.2.0"
  }
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

6. API Error Response

A standard structure for handling API errors.

Use Case: Error handling, debugging, API integration testing.

json{
  "error": {
    "code": 404,
    "message": "Resource not found",
    "type": "client_error",
    "details": {
      "resourceId": "usr_12345",
      "resourceType": "user",
      "timestamp": "2025-01-20T14:30:00Z"
    }
  },
  "status": "fail"
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

7. Social Media Post

A typical structure for a social media feed item, including user info, content, and metrics.

Use Case: Social feeds, content management systems, activity streams.

json{
  "id": "post_987654",
  "author": {
    "id": "user_123",
    "username": "tech_guru",
    "verified": true
  },
  "content": {
    "text": "Just launched our new API! Check it out.",
    "media": [
      {
        "type": "image",
        "url": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
        "alt": "API Dashboard"
      }
    ]
  },
  "metrics": {
    "likes": 1250,
    "shares": 340,
    "comments": 85
  },
  "postedAt": "2026-02-15T10:00:00Z"
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

8. Weather Data

Real-time weather information structure often returned by weather APIs.

Use Case: Weather apps, dashboards, travel planning tools.

json{
  "location": {
    "city": "London",
    "country": "UK",
    "coordinates": {
      "lat": 51.5074,
      "lon": -0.1278
    }
  },
  "current": {
    "temp_c": 15.5,
    "condition": "Partly cloudy",
    "humidity": 72,
    "wind_kph": 12.5
  },
  "forecast": [
    {
      "date": "2026-03-21",
      "max_temp_c": 18.0,
      "min_temp_c": 10.5,
      "rain_chance": 20
    }
  ]
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

9. Movie Database Entry

Detailed metadata for a movie, including cast, ratings, and release info.

Use Case: Entertainment apps, streaming services, media libraries.

json{
  "id": "tt1375666",
  "title": "Inception",
  "year": 2010,
  "director": "Christopher Nolan",
  "genres": ["Action", "Sci-Fi", "Thriller"],
  "rating": 8.8,
  "runtime": 148,
  "cast": [
    {"name": "Leonardo DiCaprio", "role": "Cobb"},
    {"name": "Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "role": "Arthur"},
    {"name": "Elliot Page", "role": "Ariadne"}
  ],
  "awards": {
    "wins": 152,
    "nominations": 204,
    "oscars": 4
  }
}

Try It Live 🚀 | Download .json ⬇️

Top Free Data Generators

If you need dynamic or large-scale data, these tools are industry standards:

DataPlaceholder

Best for: Quick REST API testing. DataPlaceholder provides free fake API endpoints for posts, comments, albums, photos, todos, and users. It's the go-to resource for testing fetch requests.

Mockaroo

Best for: Custom, realistic large datasets. Mockaroo allows you to define your own schema (fields like names, emails, dates, addresses) and download thousands of rows of realistic data in various formats including CSV, SQL, and more.

DummyData

Best for: E-commerce and rich data. Similar to JSONPlaceholder but offers more diverse data types like products with images, carts, recipes, and authentication simulation.

Visualize Your Data

Raw structured data can be hard to read, especially when it's nested or contains hundreds of lines.

Use our Json to Table Converter to instantly transform any of the sample data above into a clean, readable spreadsheet format. It helps you verify the structure and content of your mock data in seconds.

Happy coding!

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