Sending null value vs removing key for missing value in JSON response

Question

We have a resource whose structure is like this:

{  
   "id":100,
   "title":"SOME_TITLE",
   "logo":[  
      {  
         "uri":"SOME_URL",
         "mimeType":"jpg",
         "type":null,
         "priority":0,
         "size":null
      }
   ]
}

Some of the resources do not have "logo" and there are two ways to represent this situation

1st.

{  
   "id":100,
   "title":"SOME_TITLE",
   "logo": null
}

2nd.

{  
   "id":100,
   "title":"SOME_TITLE",
}

In any case, our clients are handling the case, so the question focuses more on the design. Which approach is better? nulling the missing field or removing it completely from the response?

This is a matter of opinion and quite possibly a on a case-by-case basis, so it's off-topic for SO. — T.J. Crowder, Sep 17 '15 at 13:20
It's a software design question. If we accept that it's off-topic for SO there may be thousands of off-topics here also http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/software-design — Cagatay Gurturk, Sep 17 '15 at 13:34

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 17 '15 at 13:41

0

I prefer Removing it completely for multiple reason:

If you remove it, you have to send les information on your response, and when this rest API is used by mobile devices you expend less data.
If you consume this rest API on Java, null values is pain in the ass
It is easer see if there is the information that you want to receive

answered Sep 17 '15 at 13:41

Jc Miñarro

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As the above said, it's software design issue, and I'm agree with Jc Minarro – ItayB Sep 22 '15 at 11:08
Disagree because of the reasons mentioned here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21188145/is-it-worth-to-exclude-null-fields-from-a-json-server-response-in-a-web-applicat – Dennis Sep 20 '22 at 08:46

Sending null value vs removing key for missing value in JSON response

1 Answers1