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Instead of JSON, Try These 5 API Response Formats to Speed Up Your API
Binary formats are not a magic switch. But for an endpoint that gets hit thousands of times a minute, the format you choose can matter.
Disclosure: this story was written with the assistance of an AI writing program, then reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by the author.
Picture a search box in an online store. Every time someone types a letter, the app calls /api/products/search, and the server sends back 50 products as JSON.
One request is cheap. Now multiply it by thousands of active users, several keystrokes per search, and mobile networks that are not always kind. That “just JSON” response starts to add up: bigger payloads, CPU time spent parsing, and a little more battery drained on every phone.
JSON is a great default. It is readable, supported everywhere, and you can debug it straight from the browser. But a default is not always the best fit for every endpoint.
In this article we walk through five alternatives, each with an Express example built around a search endpoint, plus a script so you can measure the results yourself. We also cover when you should not leave JSON behind.
