A text diff compares characters, so a reformatted or re-keyed JSON document looks rewritten. A semantic comparison parses both documents and compares the trees instead, so whitespace and, by default, key order cannot produce a difference.
01Text diff versus semantic diff
A text diff reports indentation, key order, and line endings as changes.
A semantic diff reports only values that were added, removed, changed, or had their type changed.
A semantic diff can address each difference by its RFC 6901 path.
02Reading a path-level change list
Added and removed rows name a path present on only one side.
Changed rows show the original and changed value at the same path.
Type-changed rows show both types, for example the number 1 versus the string "1".
03Limitations
Frequently asked questions
Does key order matter in a semantic comparison?
By default no, because JSON objects are unordered and members are matched by key. Some tools let you turn on an order-sensitive check that reports a differing key sequence at the object's path.
Is the number 1 the same as the string "1"?
No. A type-aware comparison reports that path as type-changed rather than equal.
Compare two JSON documents semantically in your browser: key-order and whitespace-insensitive, type-aware, with exact number literals and RFC 6901 paths.