// mime type · application type
application/json
JSON data · .json
What application/json is
application/json is the standard type for JSON — the default for most REST APIs. Setting it on a request body tells the server to parse JSON; a mismatched type is a common cause of 400 and 415 errors.
How it's used
You'll see this as a Content-Type value on requests and responses — for example Content-Type: application/json. It's the type associated with the .json file extension. Application types cover structured data and binary formats — from JSON and XML to PDFs, archives, and Office documents.
Other application types
application/json application/ld+json application/xml application/javascript application/pdf application/zip application/gzip application/octet-stream application/x-www-form-urlencoded application/wasm application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document