Compare JSON without hiding data changes
DiffTidy can compare JSON files and API responses as text. This preserves the original property order, number spelling, whitespace and duplicate property names. It does not parse, validate, sort or reserialize JSON automatically.
Formatting versus data
Two JSON documents may represent the same data but use different indentation or object-property order. A text diff will still show those changes. Ignore spacing reduces indentation noise when the line structure is already similar, but it does not make minified and pretty-printed JSON structurally equivalent.
Why the original form matters
A JSON parser may discard duplicate object keys. Reserializing a number through JavaScript can also lose precision when a large integer exceeds the safe integer range. A text comparison preserves those details. This is especially valuable when reviewing transaction IDs, numeric strings and external API payloads.
Arrays are ordered
Changing an array’s order can change its meaning. DiffTidy does not sort arrays. A moved block appears as a removal and an addition, not as a verified semantic move. For compact JSON, character highlighting can reveal a single changed value; for formatted JSON, word or line highlighting is often easier to scan.
A useful review sequence
Begin with exact comparison, inspect added and removed values, then use ignore options only if the remaining differences are formatting noise. If you format documents with a separate tool, keep copies of the originals and compare them once more before using the result. Downloading a patch from DiffTidy always uses the actual text you supplied.