Free, browser-based utilities for everyday developer workflows

Apply JSON Patch Operations

Build and apply RFC 6902 JSON Patch operations — add, remove, replace, move, copy, and test — against any JSON document using JSON Pointer paths.

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Open JSON Patch & Pointer with a ready-to-run example.

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When you need this
  • You are implementing a PATCH endpoint that accepts RFC 6902 operations and need to verify your document changes.
  • You want to test a series of patch operations before writing server-side code.
  • You need to generate the patch document that describes the difference between two JSON objects.
  • You are using JSON Pointer paths in a configuration system or data pipeline and need to verify paths are correct.
How to do it with Daily Developer Tools
  • Paste the target JSON document in the left panel.
  • Enter one or more RFC 6902 patch operations in the patch panel (an array of operation objects).
  • Click Apply to see the patched result — or use the Diff mode to auto-generate a patch from two JSON documents.
  • Use the JSON Pointer tab to test a pointer path against a document and see the referenced value.
Tips / common pitfalls
  • Patch operations are applied in order — if an earlier operation fails, subsequent ones do not execute.
  • To append to an array, use path /myArray/- (the - token targets the end of the array).
  • Escape / in property names as ~1 and ~ as ~0 in JSON Pointer paths.
  • The test operation asserts a value without changing the document — useful for conditional patches.
Examples & test data

Add, replace, and remove fields

Open tool with this example
Original document
{
  "name": "Alice",
  "role": "viewer",
  "temp": "remove-me"
}
Patch operations
[
  { "op": "replace", "path": "/role",  "value": "admin" },
  { "op": "add",     "path": "/email", "value": "alice@example.com" },
  { "op": "remove",  "path": "/temp" }
]
Patched result
{
  "name": "Alice",
  "role": "admin",
  "email": "alice@example.com"
}
FAQ
What is JSON Patch?

JSON Patch (RFC 6902) describes a sequence of changes to apply to a JSON document. Each change is an object with an op (add, remove, replace, move, copy, test), a path (JSON Pointer), and optionally a value.

What is JSON Pointer?

JSON Pointer (RFC 6901) is a string like /user/address/city or /items/0 that uniquely identifies a location within a JSON document. It starts with / and each segment separates keys or array indices.

What is the difference between add and replace?

add creates a new field (or appends to an array with /-) and succeeds even if the field did not exist. replace updates an existing field and fails if the path does not exist — use it when you need to guarantee the field was already there.

i Privacy-first: runs locally in your browser. No uploads.

How to apply JSON Patch operations

Paste the original JSON document in the left panel and provide the RFC 6902 patch array in the right panel, then click Apply. The tool processes each operation in sequence and displays the resulting document, along with any errors if a path is not found or a test assertion fails.

Common use cases

API developers use this to prototype PATCH endpoint payloads before implementing the server-side handler. Operations teams use it to test configuration updates against a live config snapshot before rolling them out. Developers debugging Kubernetes JSON merge vs strategic merge patches use the Diff mode to understand what changes would be applied.

Why run this in your browser?

All processing happens locally in your browser. Your data never leaves your machine, making it safe for sensitive payloads, internal API responses, and confidential configurations.