Using JSON Schema in VS Code - Example 🚀

💡 VS Code can automatically validate JSON files against a schema and show errors if the data is incorrect.
Follow these steps to use JSON Schema validation in VS Code.

---

1️⃣ Create a JSON Schema File (orderSchema.json)

First, create a schema and save it as orderSchema.json.
This schema will validate order data.

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "Order Schema",
  "description": "A JSON schema for an order",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "orderId": {
      "type": "string",
      "pattern": "^[A-Z0-9]{8}$",
      "description": "Order ID (8 characters, uppercase letters and numbers)"
    },
    "customer": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "name": { "type": "string", "minLength": 3 },
        "email": { "type": "string", "format": "email" },
        "phone": { "type": "string", "pattern": "^\\+?[0-9]{10,15}$" }
      },
      "required": ["name", "email"]
    },
    "orderDate": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time" },
    "items": {
      "type": "array",
      "minItems": 1,
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "productId": { "type": "integer" },
          "productName": { "type": "string", "minLength": 3 },
          "price": { "type": "number", "minimum": 0 },
          "quantity": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1 }
        },
        "required": ["productId", "productName", "price", "quantity"]
      }
    },
    "paymentMethod": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["Credit Card", "PayPal", "Bank Transfer"]
    }
  },
  "required": ["orderId", "customer", "orderDate", "items", "paymentMethod"]
}
 

---

2️⃣ Create a JSON File (order.json)

Now, create a JSON file and save it as order.json.
By adding $schema, VS Code will automatically validate the data against the schema.

{
  "$schema": "./orderSchema.json",
  "orderId": "A1B2C3D4",
  "customer": {
    "name": "Ahmet Yılmaz",
    "email": "ahmet.yilmaz@example.com",
    "phone": "+905551234567"
  },
  "orderDate": "2025-02-01T14:30:00Z",
  "items": [
    {
      "productId": 101,
      "productName": "Wireless Headphones",
      "price": 499.99,
      "quantity": 2
    }
  ],
  "paymentMethod": "Credit Card"
}
 

🔹 Since "$schema": "./orderSchema.json" is added:
✅ VS Code automatically validates the data against the schema.
✅ If there are errors, VS Code will highlight them immediately.

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3️⃣ Alternative: Define Schema in VS Code Settings

If you don’t want to add $schema in your JSON files,
you can configure VS Code to apply the schema automatically in settings.json.

📌 Steps:
1️⃣ Open settings.json in VS Code

• Press Ctrl + Shift + P
• Search for "Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)" and select it

2️⃣ Add the following setting:

{
  "json.schemas": [
    {
      "fileMatch": ["order.json"],
      "url": "./orderSchema.json"
    }
  ]
}
 

🔹 What does this do?

• When you open order.json, VS Code automatically validates it using orderSchema.json.
• If the JSON is invalid, VS Code will display errors immediately. 🚀

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4️⃣ Invalid JSON Example & VS Code Warnings

The following JSON is invalid because:

• "orderId" has an incorrect format
• "paymentMethod" is "Bitcoin", which is not allowed

{
  "$schema": "./orderSchema.json",
  "orderId": "1234",
  "customer": {
    "name": "Ahmet Yılmaz",
    "email": "ahmet.yilmaz@example.com"
  },
  "orderDate": "2025-02-01T14:30:00Z",
  "items": [
    {
      "productId": 101,
      "productName": "Headphones",
      "price": 499.99,
      "quantity": 2
    }
  ],
  "paymentMethod": "Bitcoin"
}
 

🛑 VS Code will show these errors:
1️⃣ "orderId" does not match the required format (should be 8 characters long).
2️⃣ "paymentMethod" cannot be "Bitcoin" (allowed values: "Credit Card", "PayPal", "Bank Transfer").

---

🎯 SUMMARY

✔ Create a JSON schema (orderSchema.json).
✔ Prepare a JSON file (order.json).
✔ Use $schema or configure settings.json in VS Code to enable validation.
✔ VS Code will automatically highlight errors and guide you to fix them.

🚀 Now, you can validate JSON files easily in VS Code! 🎯