How to Format JSON, HTML, CSS & SQL Online — Quick Guide With Examples

Paste minified or messy code, get clean formatted output. JSON, HTML, CSS, SQL, JavaScript, XML — all formatted in seconds. No install, no signup. The tool runs in your browser and your code never leaves your device.

Language-Specific Formatting Tips

JSON

JSON is the most commonly formatted language because APIs return minified JSON by default.

• Before: {"users":[{"id":1,"name":"John","email":"[email protected]"},{"id":2,"name":"Jane","email":"[email protected]"}]}
• After: Each key-value pair on its own line, nested objects indented 2 or 4 spaces, arrays with one item per line
• Tip: Most formatters also validate your JSON. If formatting fails, you have a syntax error — look for missing commas, unclosed brackets, or trailing commas.

SQL

SQL from ORMs, logs, and query builders is often a single unreadable line.

• Before: SELECT u.name, u.email, o.total FROM users u JOIN orders o ON u.id = o.user_id WHERE o.created_at > '2026-01-01' AND o.total > 100 ORDER BY o.total DESC LIMIT 50
• After: Each clause (SELECT, FROM, JOIN, WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT) on its own line, conditions indented, keywords capitalized
• Tip: Good SQL formatters uppercase keywords (SELECT, FROM, WHERE) while keeping table and column names lowercase. This visual distinction makes queries much easier to scan.

HTML

CMS exports, minified templates, and view-source output often lack indentation.

• Key rule: Each nested element should be indented one level. Self-closing tags stay on one line. Attributes wrap if the line gets too long.
• Tip: HTML formatting is more subjective than JSON or SQL. Some people prefer attributes on one line; others prefer each attribute on its own line for long tags.

CSS

Minified CSS is common in production but unreadable for editing.

• Key rule: Each property on its own line, opening brace on the selector line, closing brace on its own line.
• Tip: Some formatters also sort CSS properties alphabetically or group them logically (positioning, display, spacing, typography). This makes large stylesheets easier to scan.

When to Format vs When to Minify

Scenario	Format (Beautify)	Minify
Development/debugging	\u2713 Always — readability matters	\u2717
Code review / PR	\u2713 Readable diffs	\u2717
Production deployment	\u2717	\u2713 Smaller files, faster loading
Storing in version control	\u2713 Readable, meaningful diffs	\u2717
API response inspection	\u2713 Need to read the data	\u2717
Sharing code with colleagues	\u2713 Readable	\u2717
Pasting into documentation	\u2713 Formatted with syntax highlighting	\u2717

Pair These Tools Together

• Code Formatter — format code in any language
• JSON Formatter — dedicated JSON formatting and validation
• SQL Formatter — dedicated SQL query formatting
• Diff Checker — compare code before and after changes
• Regex Tester — test patterns in your code
• Find & Replace — bulk text changes in code
• Hash Generator — verify code integrity

Honest Limitations

Online formatters handle standard formatting: indentation, line breaks, and keyword casing. They do not enforce project-specific style rules (import order, max line length, naming conventions). For consistent formatting across a team, integrate a formatter like Prettier, Black, or gofmt into your editor and CI pipeline. Online tools are for quick one-off formatting of code snippets you encounter outside your development environment.