# Learn JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) > JSON, (canonically pronounced sometimes JavaScript Object Notation), is an open standard format that uses human-readable text to transmit data objects consisting of attribute鈥搗alue pairs. It is the primary data format used for asynchronous browser/server communication (AJAJ), largely replacing XML (used by AJAX). > Although originally derived from the JavaScript scripting language, JSON is a language-independent data format. Code for parsing and generating JSON data is readily available in many programming languages. > The JSON format was originally specified by Douglas Crockford. It is currently described by two competing standards, RFC 7159 and ECMA-404. The ECMA standard is minimal, describing only the allowed grammar syntax, whereas the RFC also provides some semantic and security considerations. The official Internet media type for JSON is application/json. The JSON filename extension is .json. - wikipedia ##### General learning: - [json.com](https://www.json.com/) [read] - [What is JSON](https://mijingo.com/lessons/what-is-json/) [watch] - [Introduction to JavaScript Object Notation: A To-the-Point Guide to JSON](http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-JavaScript-Object-Notation-Point/dp/1491929480/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1) [read][$] ##### References/docs: - [json.org/](http://json.org/) [read] ##### Standards/specifications: - [ECMA-404 The JSON Data Interchange Format](http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-ST/ECMA-404.pdf) - [RFC 7159 The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data Interchange Format](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7159) ##### Architecting: - [JSON API](http://jsonapi.org/)