JSON.parse() is for "parsing" something that was received as JSON.
JSON.stringify() is to create a JSON string out of an object/array.

They are the inverse of each other. JSON.stringify() serializes a JS object into a JSON string, whereas JSON.parse() will deserialize a JSON string into a JS object.

Firstly, JSON.stringify() function converts a JavaScript value to a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) string. JSON.parse() function converts a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) string into an object. For more information about these two functions, please refer to the following links.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/cc836459(v=vs.94).aspx https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/cc836466(v=vs.94).aspx

Secondly, the following sample will be helpful for you to understand these two functions.

<form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
        <div id="result"></div>
    </div>
</form>

<script>
    $(function () {
        //define a json object
        var employee = { "name": "John Johnson", "street": "Oslo West 16", "phone": "555 1234567" };

        //use JSON.stringify to convert it to json string
        var jsonstring = JSON.stringify(employee);
        $("#result").append('<p>json string: ' + jsonstring + '</p>');

        //convert json string to json object using JSON.parse function
        var jsonobject = JSON.parse(jsonstring);
        var info = '<ul><li>Name:' + jsonobject.name + '</li><li>Street:' + jsonobject.street + '</li><li>Phone:' + jsonobject.phone + '</li></ul>';

        $("#result").append('<p>json object:</p>');
        $("#result").append(info);
    });
</script>

They are the opposites of each other.

JSON.stringify()

JSON.stringify() serializes a JS object into a JSON string.

JSON.stringify({});                  // '{}'
JSON.stringify(true);                // 'true'
JSON.stringify('foo');               // '"foo"'
JSON.stringify([1, 'false', false]); // '[1,"false",false]'
JSON.stringify({ x: 5 });            // '{"x":5}'

JSON.stringify(new Date(2006, 0, 2, 15, 4, 5)) 
// '"2006-01-02T15:04:05.000Z"'

JSON.stringify({ x: 5, y: 6 });
// '{"x":5,"y":6}' or '{"y":6,"x":5}'
JSON.stringify([new Number(1), new String('false'), new Boolean(false)]);
// '[1,"false",false]'

JSON.parse()

The JSON.parse() method parses a string as JSON, optionally transforming the value produced.

JSON.parse('{}');              // {}
JSON.parse('true');            // true
JSON.parse('"foo"');           // "foo"
JSON.parse('[1, 5, "false"]'); // [1, 5, "false"]
JSON.parse('null');            // null

JSON.stringify() Converts an object into a string.

JSON.parse() Converts a JSON string into an object.

The real confusion here is not about parse vs stringify, it's about the data type of the data parameter of the success callback.

data can be either the raw response, i.e a string, or it can be an JavaScript object, as per the documentation:

success

Type: Function( Anything data, String textStatus, jqXHR jqXHR ) A function to be called if the request succeeds. The function gets passed three arguments: The data returned from the server, formatted according to the dataType parameter or the dataFilter callback function, if specified;<..>

And the dataType defaults to a setting of 'intelligent guess'

dataType (default: Intelligent Guess (xml, json, script, or html))

Type: String The type of data that you're expecting back from the server. If none is specified, jQuery will try to infer it based on the MIME type of the response (an XML MIME type will yield XML, in 1.4 JSON will yield a JavaScript object, in 1.4 script will execute the script, and anything else will be returned as a string).

JSON.stringify(obj [, replacer [, space]]) - Takes any serializable object and returns the JSON representation as a string.

JSON.parse(string) - Takes a well formed JSON string and returns the corresponding JavaScript object.

JavaScript Object <-> JSON String

JSON.stringify() <-> JSON.parse()

JSON.stringify(obj) - Takes any serializable object and returns the JSON representation as a string.

JSON.stringify() -> Object To String.

JSON.parse(string) - Takes a well formed JSON string and returns the corresponding JavaScript object.

JSON.parse() -> String To Object.

Explanation: JSON.stringify(obj [, replacer [, space]]);

Replacer/Space - optional or takes integer value or you can call interger type return function.

function replacer(key, value) {
    if (typeof value === 'number' && !isFinite(value)) {
        return String(value);
    }
    return value;
}

• Replacer Just Use for replace non finite no with null.
• Space use for indenting Json String by space

They are the complete opposite of each other.

JSON.parse() is used for parsing data that was received as JSON; it deserializes a JSON string into a JavaScript object.

JSON.stringify() on the other hand is used to create a JSON string out of an object or array; it serializes a JavaScript object into a JSON string.

JSON.parse() - is used to convert String to Object. JSON.stringify() - is used to convert Object to String.

You can refer this too...

<script type="text/javascript">

function ajax_get_json(){

    var hr = new XMLHttpRequest();
    hr.open("GET", "JSON/mylist.json", true);
    hr.setRequestHeader("Content-type", "application/json",true);
    hr.onreadystatechange = function() {
        if(hr.readyState == 4 && hr.status == 200) {
           /*  var return_data = hr.responseText; */

           var data=JSON.parse(hr.responseText);
           var status=document.getElementById("status");
           status.innerHTML = "";
           /* status.innerHTML=data.u1.country;  */
           for(var obj in data)
               {
               status.innerHTML+=data[obj].uname+" is in "+data[obj].country+"<br/>";
               }

        }
    }
    hr.send(null);
    status.innerHTML = "requesting...";
}
</script>

var log = { "page": window.location.href, 
        "item": "item", 
        "action": "action" };

log = JSON.stringify(log);
console.log(log);
console.log(JSON.parse(log));

//The output will be:

//For 1st Console is a String Like:

{"page":"http://localhost/test.html","item":"document loaded","action":"starting","details"}

//For 2nd Console is a Object Like:

Object {
page   :"http://localhost/test.html"    
action : "starting"
item   :"document loaded" }

They are opposing each other. JSON.Stringify() converts JSON to string and JSON.Parse() parses a string into JSON.

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but one of the uses of JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(myObject)) is to create a clone of the original object.

This is handy when you want to mess with some data without affecting the original object. Probably not the cleanest / fastest way but certainly the simplest for objects that aren't massively complex.