# JSON-Server [](https://github.com/typicode/json-server/actions/workflows/node.js.yml) > [!IMPORTANT] > Viewing beta v1 documentation – usable but expect breaking changes. For stable version, see [here](https://github.com/typicode/json-server/tree/v0.17.4) > [!NOTE] > Using React ⚛️ and tired of CSS-in-JS? See [MistCSS](https://github.com/typicode/mistcss) 👀 ## Install ```shell npm install json-server ``` ## Usage Create a `db.json` or `db.json5` file ```json { "$schema": "./node_modules/json-server/schema.json", "posts": [ { "id": "1", "title": "a title", "views": 100 }, { "id": "2", "title": "another title", "views": 200 } ], "comments": [ { "id": "1", "text": "a comment about post 1", "postId": "1" }, { "id": "2", "text": "another comment about post 1", "postId": "1" } ], "profile": { "name": "typicode" } } ``` View db.json5 example ```json5 { posts: [ { id: "1", title: "a title", views: 100 }, { id: "2", title: "another title", views: 200 }, ], comments: [ { id: "1", text: "a comment about post 1", postId: "1" }, { id: "2", text: "another comment about post 1", postId: "1" }, ], profile: { name: "typicode", }, } ``` You can read more about JSON5 format [here](https://github.com/json5/json5). Start JSON Server ```bash npx json-server db.json ``` This starts the server at `http://localhost:3000`. You should see: ``` JSON Server started on PORT :3000 http://localhost:3000 ``` Access your REST API: ```bash curl http://localhost:3000/posts/1 ``` **Response:** ```json { "id": "1", "title": "a title", "views": 100 } ``` Run `json-server --help` for a list of options ## Sponsors ✨ ### Gold | | | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | | [](https://mockend.com/) | | [](https://zuplo.link/json-server-gh) | | [](https://www.mintlify.com/) | | [](http://git-tower.com/?utm_source=husky&utm_medium=referral) | | [](https://serpapi.com/?utm_source=typicode) ### Silver | | | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | | [](https://requestly.com?utm_source=githubsponsor&utm_medium=jsonserver&utm_campaign=jsonserver) | ### Bronze | | | | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | | [](https://www.storyblok.com/) | [](https://betterstack.com/) | [Become a sponsor and have your company logo here](https://github.com/users/typicode/sponsorship) ## Query Capabilities JSON Server supports advanced querying out of the box: ```http GET /posts?views:gt=100 # Filter by condition GET /posts?_sort=-views # Sort by field (descending) GET /posts?_page=1&_per_page=10 # Pagination GET /posts?_embed=comments # Include relations GET /posts?_where={"or":[...]} # Complex queries ``` See detailed documentation below for each feature. ## Routes ### Array Resources For array resources like `posts` and `comments`: ```http GET /posts GET /posts/:id POST /posts PUT /posts/:id PATCH /posts/:id DELETE /posts/:id ``` ### Object Resources For singular object resources like `profile`: ```http GET /profile PUT /profile PATCH /profile ``` ## Query params ### Conditions Use `field:operator=value`. Operators: - no operator -> `eq` (equal) - `lt` less than, `lte` less than or equal - `gt` greater than, `gte` greater than or equal - `eq` equal, `ne` not equal - `in` included in comma-separated list - `contains` string contains (case-insensitive) - `startsWith` string starts with (case-insensitive) - `endsWith` string ends with (case-insensitive) Examples: ```http GET /posts?views:gt=100 GET /posts?title:eq=Hello GET /posts?id:in=1,2,3 GET /posts?author.name:eq=typicode GET /posts?title:contains=hello GET /posts?title:startsWith=Hello GET /posts?title:endsWith=world ``` ### Sort ```http GET /posts?_sort=title GET /posts?_sort=-views GET /posts?_sort=author.name,-views ``` ### Pagination ```http GET /posts?_page=1&_per_page=25 ``` **Response:** ```json { "first": 1, "prev": null, "next": 2, "last": 4, "pages": 4, "items": 100, "data": [ { "id": "1", "title": "...", "views": 100 }, { "id": "2", "title": "...", "views": 200 } ] } ``` **Notes:** - `_per_page` defaults to `10` if not specified - Invalid `_page` or `_per_page` values are automatically normalized to valid ranges ### Embed ```http GET /posts?_embed=comments GET /comments?_embed=post ``` ### Complex filter with `_where` `_where` accepts a JSON object and overrides normal query params when valid. ```http GET /posts?_where={"or":[{"views":{"gt":100}},{"author":{"name":{"lt":"m"}}}]} ``` ## Delete dependents ```http DELETE /posts/1?_dependent=comments ``` ## Static Files JSON Server automatically serves files from the `./public` directory. To serve additional static directories: ```bash json-server db.json -s ./static json-server db.json -s ./static -s ./node_modules ``` Static files are served with standard MIME types and can include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other assets. ## Migration Notes (v0 → v1) If you are upgrading from json-server v0.x, note these behavioral changes: - **ID handling:** `id` is always a string and will be auto-generated if not provided - **Pagination:** Use `_per_page` with `_page` instead of the deprecated `_limit` parameter - **Relationships:** Use `_embed` instead of `_expand` for including related resources - **Request delays:** Use browser DevTools (Network tab > throttling) instead of the removed `--delay` CLI option > **New to json-server?** These notes are for users migrating from v0. If this is your first time using json-server, you can ignore this section.