json.load
Read JSON from an open file and convert it to a Python object.
Python 3.13
json.load(fp)Parameters
- fpTextIO
- A file open for reading in text mode, or io.StringIO.
Return value
A Python object: a dict, list, string, number, bool or None.
Examples
Reading settings from a file
Python 3.13
import json
with open('config.json', 'w', encoding='utf-8') as file:
file.write('{"debug": true, "level": 3}')
with open('config.json', encoding='utf-8') as file:
config = json.load(file)
print(config['debug'], config['level'])True 3
Writing and reading with io.StringIO
Python 3.13
import io
import json
buffer = io.StringIO()
json.dump({'scores': [5, 4]}, buffer)
buffer.seek(0)
print(json.load(buffer)){'scores': [5, 4]}Details
It reads everything from the current position to the end of the file, which must contain exactly one JSON value, usually an object or an array. Raises json.JSONDecodeError for invalid JSON. If the JSON has already been read into a string, use json.loads.