JSON Server vs Swagger UI

Overview

JSON Server

Stacks133

Followers189

Votes7

GitHub Stars75.3K

Forks7.2K

Swagger UI

Stacks2.1K

Followers1.8K

Votes207

GitHub Stars28.3K

Forks9.2K

JSON Server vs Swagger UI: What are the differences?

Introduction: JSON Server and Swagger UI are two tools commonly used in web development. While they both serve different purposes, they are often used together to enhance API development and documentation. In this markdown, we will explore the key differences between JSON Server and Swagger UI.

Data Interaction: JSON Server is primarily used to create a mock REST API server. It allows developers to generate a fully functional REST API server using a JSON file as the data source. On the other hand, Swagger UI is a tool for documenting and interacting with RESTful APIs. It provides a user-friendly UI where developers can explore and test different API endpoints using live data.
Data Source: JSON Server uses a JSON file as the data source. It reads the data from the JSON file and serves it through the generated API endpoints. In contrast, Swagger UI doesn't have its own data source. It relies on the actual API that is being documented. Swagger UI reads the API documentation (usually in the form of a Swagger or OpenAPI specification) and generates a user interface based on that.
API Testing: JSON Server allows developers to test the API by sending HTTP requests and observing the response. However, the testing capabilities of JSON Server are limited to the functionalities provided by the API server itself. Swagger UI, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive testing environment. It supports sending different types of HTTP requests, adding request headers, and inspecting the response in real-time.
Data Formatting and Structure: With JSON Server, the data structure and formatting are determined solely by the JSON file being used. JSON Server reads the JSON file as is and serves it as a RESTful API. In contrast, Swagger UI provides a standardized way of documenting APIs using the OpenAPI specification. This specification defines the structure and formatting of the API endpoints, making it easier for developers to understand and consume the API.
API Documentation: While JSON Server provides a basic API documentation by showing the available endpoints and their corresponding data, Swagger UI offers a more comprehensive documentation experience. It not only displays the API endpoints but also provides information about request/response payloads, HTTP status codes, and example requests/responses. This makes it easier for developers to understand the API and build applications on top of it.
Customization: JSON Server is relatively straightforward and has limited customization options. Developers can modify the behavior of the API server by updating the JSON file, but there are not many other customization options available. On the other hand, Swagger UI offers extensive customization options. Developers can modify the UI layout, colors, and add custom branding to match their application's design.

In Summary, JSON Server is primarily used for creating a mock REST API server, while Swagger UI is used for documenting and interacting with actual RESTful APIs. JSON Server uses a JSON file as the data source, while Swagger UI relies on the API documentation. JSON Server provides limited testing capabilities, while Swagger UI offers a comprehensive testing environment. JSON Server serves the data as is, while Swagger UI provides a standardized way of documenting APIs. Swagger UI offers more comprehensive API documentation and customization options compared to JSON Server.

Share your Stack

Help developers discover the tools you use. Get visibility for your team's tech choices and contribute to the community's knowledge.

View Docs

CLI (Node.js)

Manual

Advice on JSON Server, Swagger UI

StackShare

May 1, 2019

Needs advice

From a StackShare Community member: "I just started working for a start-up and we are in desperate need of better documentation for our API. Currently our API docs is in a README.md file. We are evaluating Postman and Swagger UI. Since there are many options and I was wondering what other StackSharers would recommend?"

382k views382k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

JSON Server	Swagger UI
Created with <3 for front-end developers who need a quick back-end for prototyping and mocking.	Swagger UI is a dependency-free collection of HTML, Javascript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation and sandbox from a Swagger-compliant API
-	The UI works in any development environment, be it locally or in the web;Allow end developers to effortlessly interact and try out every single operation your API exposes for easy consumption;Quickly find and work with resources and endpoints with neatly categorized documentation;Cater to every possible scenario with Swagger UI working in all major browsers
Statistics
GitHub Stars 75.3K	GitHub Stars 28.3K
GitHub Forks 7.2K	GitHub Forks 9.2K
Stacks 133	Stacks 2.1K
Followers 189	Followers 1.8K
Votes 7	Votes 207
Pros & Cons
Pros 7 Stupid simple	Pros 49 Open Source 34 Can execute api calls from the documentation 29 Free to use 19 Customizable 14 Easy to implement in .Net Cons 3 Need to learn YAML and RAML 2 Documentation doesn't look that good 1 Does not support hypermedia 1 Doesn't generate code snippets in different languages 1 You don’t actually get in-line error highlighting
Integrations
No integrations available	Node.js Git Microsoft Edge Safari Firefox Google Chrome

What are some alternatives to JSON Server, Swagger UI?

Postman

It is the only complete API development environment, used by nearly five million developers and more than 100,000 companies worldwide.

Paw

Paw is a full-featured and beautifully designed Mac app that makes interaction with REST services delightful. Either you are an API maker or consumer, Paw helps you build HTTP requests, inspect the server's response and even generate client code.

Apiary

It takes more than a simple HTML page to thrill your API users. The right tools take weeks of development. Weeks that apiary.io saves.

Karate DSL

Combines API test-automation, mocks and performance-testing into a single, unified framework. The BDD syntax popularized by Cucumber is language-neutral, and easy for even non-programmers. Besides powerful JSON & XML assertions, you can run tests in parallel for speed - which is critical for HTTP API testing.

ReadMe.io

It is an easy-to-use tool to help you build out documentation! Each documentation site that you publish is a project where there is space for documentation, interactive API reference guides, a changelog, and much more.

Appwrite

Appwrite's open-source platform lets you add Auth, DBs, Functions and Storage to your product and build any application at any scale, own your data, and use your preferred coding languages and tools.

Runscope

Keep tabs on all aspects of your API's performance with uptime monitoring, integration testing, logging and real-time monitoring.

Insomnia REST Client

Insomnia is a powerful REST API Client with cookie management, environment variables, code generation, and authentication for Mac, Window, and Linux.

RAML

RESTful API Modeling Language (RAML) makes it easy to manage the whole API lifecycle from design to sharing. It's concise - you only write what you need to define - and reusable. It is machine readable API design that is actually human friendly.

Docusaurus

Docusaurus is a project for easily building, deploying, and maintaining open source project websites.

Related Comparisons

JSON Server vs Swagger UI: What are the differences?

Data Interaction: JSON Server is primarily used to create a mock REST API server. It allows developers to generate a fully functional REST API server using a JSON file as the data source. On the other hand, Swagger UI is a tool for documenting and interacting with RESTful APIs. It provides a user-friendly UI where developers can explore and test different API endpoints using live data.
Data Source: JSON Server uses a JSON file as the data source. It reads the data from the JSON file and serves it through the generated API endpoints. In contrast, Swagger UI doesn't have its own data source. It relies on the actual API that is being documented. Swagger UI reads the API documentation (usually in the form of a Swagger or OpenAPI specification) and generates a user interface based on that.
API Testing: JSON Server allows developers to test the API by sending HTTP requests and observing the response. However, the testing capabilities of JSON Server are limited to the functionalities provided by the API server itself. Swagger UI, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive testing environment. It supports sending different types of HTTP requests, adding request headers, and inspecting the response in real-time.
Data Formatting and Structure: With JSON Server, the data structure and formatting are determined solely by the JSON file being used. JSON Server reads the JSON file as is and serves it as a RESTful API. In contrast, Swagger UI provides a standardized way of documenting APIs using the OpenAPI specification. This specification defines the structure and formatting of the API endpoints, making it easier for developers to understand and consume the API.
API Documentation: While JSON Server provides a basic API documentation by showing the available endpoints and their corresponding data, Swagger UI offers a more comprehensive documentation experience. It not only displays the API endpoints but also provides information about request/response payloads, HTTP status codes, and example requests/responses. This makes it easier for developers to understand the API and build applications on top of it.
Customization: JSON Server is relatively straightforward and has limited customization options. Developers can modify the behavior of the API server by updating the JSON file, but there are not many other customization options available. On the other hand, Swagger UI offers extensive customization options. Developers can modify the UI layout, colors, and add custom branding to match their application's design.

JSON Server vs Swagger UI

Overview