How to instantiate JsonSerializerOptions instances with System.Text.Json

This article explains how to avoid performance problems when you use JsonSerializerOptions. It also shows how to use the parameterized constructors that are available.

Reuse JsonSerializerOptions instances

If you use JsonSerializerOptions repeatedly with the same options, don't create a new JsonSerializerOptions instance each time you use it. Reuse the same instance for every call. This guidance applies to code you write for custom converters and when you call JsonSerializer.Serialize or JsonSerializer.Deserialize. It's safe to use the same instance across multiple threads. The metadata caches on the options instance are thread-safe, and the instance is immutable after the first serialization or deserialization.

The JsonSerializerOptions.Default property

If the instance of JsonSerializerOptions that you need to use is the default instance (has all of the default settings and the default converters), use the JsonSerializerOptions.Default property rather than creating an options instance. For more information, see Use default system converter.

Copy JsonSerializerOptions

There is a JsonSerializerOptions constructor that lets you create a new instance with the same options as an existing instance, as shown in the following example:

using System.Text.Json;

namespace CopyOptions
{
    public class Forecast
    {
        public DateTime Date { get; init; }
        public int TemperatureC { get; set; }
        public string? Summary { get; set; }
    };

    public class Program
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            Forecast forecast = new()
            {
                Date = DateTime.Now,
                TemperatureC = 40,
                Summary = "Hot"
            };

            JsonSerializerOptions options = new()
            {
                WriteIndented = true
            };

            JsonSerializerOptions optionsCopy = new(options);
            string forecastJson =
                JsonSerializer.Serialize<Forecast>(forecast, optionsCopy);

            Console.WriteLine($"Output JSON:\n{forecastJson}");
        }
    }
}

// Produces output like the following example:
//
//Output JSON:
//{
//  "Date": "2020-10-21T15:40:06.8998502-07:00",
//  "TemperatureC": 40,
//  "Summary": "Hot"
//}

Imports System.Text.Json
Imports System.Text.Json.Serialization

Namespace CopyOptions

    Public Class Forecast
        Public Property [Date] As Date
        Public Property TemperatureC As Integer
        Public Property Summary As String
    End Class

    Public NotInheritable Class Program

        Public Shared Sub Main()
            Dim forecast1 As New Forecast() With {
                .[Date] = Date.Now,
                .Summary = Nothing,
                .TemperatureC = CType(Nothing, Integer)
            }

            Dim options As New JsonSerializerOptions() With {
                .DefaultIgnoreCondition = JsonIgnoreCondition.WhenWritingDefault
            }

            Dim optionsCopy As New JsonSerializerOptions
            Dim forecastJson As String = JsonSerializer.Serialize(forecast1, optionsCopy)

            Console.WriteLine($"Output JSON:{forecastJson}")
        End Sub

    End Class

End Namespace

' Produces output like the following example:
'
'Output JSON:
'{
'  "Date": "2020-10-21T15:40:06.8998502-07:00",
'  "TemperatureC": 40,
'  "Summary": "Hot"
'}

The metadata cache of the existing JsonSerializerOptions instance isn't copied to the new instance. So using this constructor is not the same as reusing an existing instance of JsonSerializerOptions.

Web defaults for JsonSerializerOptions

The following options have different defaults for web apps:

• PropertyNameCaseInsensitive = true
• PropertyNamingPolicy = CamelCase
• NumberHandling = AllowReadingFromString

In .NET 9 and later versions, you can use the JsonSerializerOptions.Web singleton to serialize with the default options that ASP.NET Core uses for web apps. In earlier versions, call the JsonSerializerOptions constructor to create a new instance with the web defaults, as shown in the following example:

using System.Text.Json;

namespace OptionsDefaults
{
    public class Forecast
    {
        public DateTime? Date { get; init; }
        public int TemperatureC { get; set; }
        public string? Summary { get; set; }
    };

    public class Program
    {
        public static void Main()
        {
            Forecast forecast = new()
            {
                Date = DateTime.Now,
                TemperatureC = 40,
                Summary = "Hot"
            };

            JsonSerializerOptions options = new(JsonSerializerDefaults.Web)
            {
                WriteIndented = true
            };

            Console.WriteLine(
                $"PropertyNameCaseInsensitive: {options.PropertyNameCaseInsensitive}");
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"JsonNamingPolicy: {options.PropertyNamingPolicy}");
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"NumberHandling: {options.NumberHandling}");

            string forecastJson = JsonSerializer.Serialize<Forecast>(forecast, options);
            Console.WriteLine($"Output JSON:\n{forecastJson}");

            Forecast? forecastDeserialized =
                JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Forecast>(forecastJson, options);

            Console.WriteLine($"Date: {forecastDeserialized?.Date}");
            Console.WriteLine($"TemperatureC: {forecastDeserialized?.TemperatureC}");
            Console.WriteLine($"Summary: {forecastDeserialized?.Summary}");
        }
    }
}

// Produces output like the following example:
//
//PropertyNameCaseInsensitive: True
//JsonNamingPolicy: System.Text.Json.JsonCamelCaseNamingPolicy
//NumberHandling: AllowReadingFromString
//Output JSON:
//{
//  "date": "2020-10-21T15:40:06.9040831-07:00",
//  "temperatureC": 40,
//  "summary": "Hot"
//}
//Date: 10 / 21 / 2020 3:40:06 PM
//TemperatureC: 40
//Summary: Hot

Imports System.Text.Json

Namespace OptionsDefaults

    Public Class Forecast
        Public Property [Date] As Date
        Public Property TemperatureC As Integer
        Public Property Summary As String
    End Class

    Public NotInheritable Class Program

        Public Shared Sub Main()
            Dim forecast1 As New Forecast() With {
                .[Date] = Date.Now,
                .TemperatureC = 40,
                .Summary = "Hot"
                }

            Dim options As New JsonSerializerOptions(JsonSerializerDefaults.Web) With {
                .WriteIndented = True
                }

            Console.WriteLine(
                $"PropertyNameCaseInsensitive: {options.PropertyNameCaseInsensitive}")
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"JsonNamingPolicy: {options.PropertyNamingPolicy}")
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"NumberHandling: {options.NumberHandling}")

            Dim forecastJson As String = JsonSerializer.Serialize(forecast1, options)
            Console.WriteLine($"Output JSON:{forecastJson}")

            Dim forecastDeserialized As Forecast = JsonSerializer.Deserialize(Of Forecast)(forecastJson, options)

            Console.WriteLine($"Date: {forecastDeserialized.[Date]}")
            Console.WriteLine($"TemperatureC: {forecastDeserialized.TemperatureC}")
            Console.WriteLine($"Summary: {forecastDeserialized.Summary}")
        End Sub

    End Class

End Namespace

' Produces output like the following example:
'
'PropertyNameCaseInsensitive: True
'JsonNamingPolicy: System.Text.Json.JsonCamelCaseNamingPolicy
'NumberHandling: AllowReadingFromString
'Output JSON:
'{
'  "date": "2020-10-21T15:40:06.9040831-07:00",
'  "temperatureC": 40,
'  "summary": "Hot"
'}
'Date: 10 / 21 / 2020 3:40:06 PM
'TemperatureC: 40
'Summary: Hot