How to Parse Json from Bytes in Python

We are given a bytes object and we have to parse JSON object from it by using different approaches in Python. In this article, we will see how we can parse JSON with bytes in Python

Parse JSON With Bytes in Python

Below are some of the ways by which we can parse JSON with bytes in Python:

1. Using the json.loads() function
2. Decoding Bytes to Strings and Parsing JSON
3. Handling Different Encodings
4. Parsing JSON Data from an API Response

Using the json.loads() function

In this example, we start with JSON data represented as bytes (json_data). By decoding the bytes to a UTF-8 encoded string (decoded_data), we can then use json.loads to parse the JSON string into a Python dictionary (parsed_json). Finally, the parsed JSON is printed to the console.

Python3

import json

# Example JSON data with bytes
json_data = b'{"name": "Amit", "age": 30, "city": "Delhi"}'

# Decode bytes to string and parse JSON
decoded_data = json_data.decode('utf-8')
parsed_json = json.loads(decoded_data)

# Print parsed JSON
print(parsed_json)

Output

{'name': 'Amit', 'age': 30, 'city': 'Delhi'}

Decoding Bytes to Strings and Parsing JSON

In this example, we begin with JSON data represented as bytes (json_data). By decoding the bytes to a UTF-8 encoded string (decoded_data), we use json.loads to parse the JSON string into a Python dictionary (parsed_json). Subsequently, specific values such as name, age, and city are accessed from the parsed JSON, and these values are printed to the console.

Python3

import json

# Example JSON data with bytes
json_data = b'{"name": "Ankit", "age": 30, "city": "Mumbai"}'

# Decode bytes to string and parse JSON
decoded_data = json_data.decode('utf-8')
parsed_json = json.loads(decoded_data)

# Accessing values from parsed JSON
name = parsed_json['name']
age = parsed_json['age']
city = parsed_json['city']

# Printing parsed values
print("Name:", name)
print("Age:", age)
print("City:", city)

Output

Name: Ankit
Age: 30
City: Mumbai

Handling Different Encodings

In this example, we have JSON data encoded as bytes using UTF-16 (json_data_utf16). By decoding the bytes with the appropriate encoding (utf-16 in this case) to obtain a string (decoded_data_utf16), we then use json.loads to parse the JSON string into a Python dictionary (parsed_json_utf16). Subsequently, specific values such as name, age, and city are accessed from the parsed JSON with UTF-16 encoding, and these values are printed to the console.

Python3

import json

# Example JSON data with bytes encoded using different encodings
json_data_utf16 = b'\xff\xfe{\x00"\x00n\x00a\x00m\x00e\x00"\x00:\x00 \x00"\x00A\x00n\x00i\x00l\x00"\x00,\x00 \x00"\x00a\x00g\x00e\x00"\x00:\x00 \x002\x005\x00,\x00 \x00"\x00c\x00i\x00t\x00y\x00"\x00:\x00 \x00"\x00N\x00e\x00w\x00 \x00Y\x00o\x00r\x00k\x00"\x00}\x00'

# Decode bytes with different encodings
decoded_data_utf16 = json_data_utf16.decode('utf-16')
parsed_json_utf16 = json.loads(decoded_data_utf16)

# Accessing values from parsed JSON
name_utf16 = parsed_json_utf16['name']
age_utf16 = parsed_json_utf16['age']
city_utf16 = parsed_json_utf16['city']

# Printing parsed values
print("Name (UTF-16):", name_utf16)
print("Age (UTF-16):", age_utf16)
print("City (UTF-16):", city_utf16)

Output

Name (UTF-16): Anil
Age (UTF-16): 25
City (UTF-16): New York

Parsing JSON Data from an API Response

In this example, a request is made to an API endpoint using urllib.request.urlopen. The JSON data from the API response is obtained by reading the response (json_data_api). By decoding the bytes to a UTF-8 encoded string (decoded_data_api), json.loads is used to parse the JSON string into a Python dictionary (parsed_json_api). Subsequently, specific values such as user ID, title, and body are accessed from the parsed JSON, and these values are printed to the console.

Python3

import json
import urllib.request

# Make a request to an API endpoint
url = 'https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1'
response = urllib.request.urlopen(url)

# Get the JSON data from the response
json_data_api = response.read()

# Decode bytes to string and parse JSON
decoded_data_api = json_data_api.decode('utf-8')
parsed_json_api = json.loads(decoded_data_api)

# Accessing values from parsed JSON
user_id = parsed_json_api['userId']
title = parsed_json_api['title']
body = parsed_json_api['body']

# Printing parsed values
print("User ID:", user_id)
print("Title:", title)
print("Body:", body)

Output:

User ID: 1
Title: sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit
Body: quia et suscipit
suscipit recusandae consequuntur expedita et cum