How To Compare JSON Objects In Java: A Comprehensive Guide

Comparing JSON objects in Java can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex structures. At compare.edu.vn, we simplify this task. This guide provides detailed methods and tools for effectively comparing JSON objects in Java, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. This guide helps you compare JSON data structures and identify differences using Java libraries.

1. Understanding The Need To Compare JSON Objects In Java

Why is comparing JSON objects so important in Java development? The answer lies in the increasing use of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) for data exchange in modern applications. JSON’s lightweight and human-readable format makes it ideal for APIs, configuration files, and data serialization. However, when applications deal with multiple JSON sources or require validation against a schema, the ability to compare JSON objects becomes critical. This comparison helps in identifying discrepancies, ensuring data integrity, and managing configurations effectively.

1.1. Key Use Cases For JSON Comparison

JSON comparison is not just a theoretical exercise; it has practical applications across various domains:

• API Testing: Ensuring that the JSON response from an API matches the expected output is crucial for maintaining API stability and reliability.
• Configuration Management: Many applications use JSON files for configuration. Comparing these files across different environments (development, staging, production) can prevent inconsistencies that lead to errors.
• Data Synchronization: When synchronizing data between systems, comparing JSON objects can help identify which parts of the data have changed and need to be updated.
• Schema Validation: While not strictly comparison, validating JSON against a schema often involves comparing the structure and data types of the JSON object with the schema definition.
• Debugging: When troubleshooting issues, comparing JSON payloads can reveal discrepancies that might be causing unexpected behavior.

1.2. Challenges In Comparing JSON Objects

Despite its importance, comparing JSON objects in Java can be challenging due to several factors:

• Nested Structures: JSON objects can have deeply nested structures with arrays and other objects, making it difficult to traverse and compare each element.
• Order Irrelevance: The order of keys in a JSON object is generally considered irrelevant. A comparison tool must be able to ignore these differences.
• Data Type Differences: Even if the keys match, the values might have different data types (e.g., a number represented as a string in one object and as an integer in another).
• Null Values: Handling null values consistently is crucial. Should a null value be considered different from an absent key?
• Performance: For large JSON objects, the comparison process can be resource-intensive and time-consuming.

1.3. The Importance Of Choosing The Right Approach

Given these challenges, choosing the right approach for comparing JSON objects in Java is essential. A naive approach might involve simply converting JSON objects to strings and comparing them, but this would fail to account for order irrelevance and data type differences. A more sophisticated approach is needed, one that understands the structure of JSON and can handle the nuances of comparison.

2. Methods For Comparing JSON Objects In Java

There are several methods and libraries available in Java for comparing JSON objects, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This section will explore some of the most popular approaches, providing code examples and discussing their pros and cons.

2.1. Using org.json Library

The org.json library is a simple and lightweight library for working with JSON in Java. While it doesn’t provide a direct method for comparing JSON objects, you can use its classes to parse JSON and then manually compare the resulting objects.

2.1.1. Example Code

First, add the org.json dependency to your project. If you are using Maven, add the following to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.json</groupId>
    <artifactId>json</artifactId>
    <version>20240519</version>
</dependency>

Here’s an example of how to compare two JSON objects using org.json:

import org.json.JSONObject;
import org.json.JSONException;

public class JsonOrgComparator {

    public static boolean compareJsonObjects(String json1, String json2) {
        try {
            JSONObject obj1 = new JSONObject(json1);
            JSONObject obj2 = new JSONObject(json2);

            return obj1.similar(obj2);
        } catch (JSONException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
            return false;
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String json1 = "{"name": "John", "age": 30}";
        String json2 = "{"age": 30, "name": "John"}";
        String json3 = "{"name": "Jane", "age": 25}";

        System.out.println("Comparing json1 and json2: " + compareJsonObjects(json1, json2)); // true
        System.out.println("Comparing json1 and json3: " + compareJsonObjects(json1, json3)); // false
    }
}

2.1.2. Explanation

• The compareJsonObjects method takes two JSON strings as input.
• It creates JSONObject instances from the input strings.
• The similar method checks if two JSON objects are similar, ignoring the order of keys.
• If any JSONException occurs during parsing, it prints the stack trace and returns false.

2.1.3. Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Simple and lightweight.
  • Easy to use for basic JSON comparison.
• Cons:
  • Limited functionality for complex comparisons.
  • Does not provide detailed information about the differences.
  • May not handle all edge cases correctly.

2.2. Using Jackson Library

Jackson is a powerful and widely used library for handling JSON in Java. It provides a rich set of features for parsing, generating, and transforming JSON.

2.2.1. Setting Up Jackson

To use Jackson, you need to add the following dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
    <version>2.16.1</version>
</dependency>

2.2.2. Comparing JSON as Maps

One way to compare JSON objects using Jackson is to read them as Map instances and then compare the maps. This approach is suitable for simple JSON structures.

import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.type.TypeReference;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import com.google.common.collect.MapDifference;
import com.google.common.collect.Maps;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Map;

public class JacksonMapComparator {

    public static MapDifference<String, Object> compareJsonAsMaps(String json1, String json2) throws IOException {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        TypeReference<Map<String, Object>> type = new TypeReference<Map<String, Object>>() {};

        Map<String, Object> leftMap = mapper.readValue(json1, type);
        Map<String, Object> rightMap = mapper.readValue(json2, type);

        return Maps.difference(leftMap, rightMap);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String json1 = "{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}";
        String json2 = "{"age": 30, "name": "John", "country": "USA"}";

        MapDifference<String, Object> difference = compareJsonAsMaps(json1, json2);

        System.out.println("Entries only on left: " + difference.entriesOnlyOnLeft());
        System.out.println("Entries only on right: " + difference.entriesOnlyOnRight());
        System.out.println("Entries differing: " + difference.entriesDiffering());
        System.out.println("Entries in common: " + difference.entriesInCommon());
    }
}

2.2.3. Explanation

• The compareJsonAsMaps method uses Jackson’s ObjectMapper to read the JSON strings as Map<String, Object> instances.
• It then uses Guava’s Maps.difference method to compare the maps and returns a MapDifference object.
• The MapDifference object provides information about the entries that are only on the left, only on the right, differing, and in common.

2.2.4. Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Easy to implement for simple JSON structures.
  • Provides detailed information about the differences.
  • Uses widely used and reliable libraries (Jackson and Guava).
• Cons:
  • Does not handle nested JSON structures well.
  • Requires additional dependency (Guava).
  • May not be efficient for large JSON objects.

2.2.5. Comparing JSON as Trees

For more complex JSON structures with nested objects and arrays, a better approach is to compare the JSON as trees using Jackson’s JsonNode class.

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import com.github.fge.jsonpatch.diff.JsonDiff;

import java.io.IOException;

public class JacksonTreeComparator {

    public static JsonNode compareJsonAsTrees(String json1, String json2) throws IOException {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();

        JsonNode left = mapper.readTree(json1);
        JsonNode right = mapper.readTree(json2);

        return JsonDiff.asJson(left, right);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String json1 = "{"name": {"first": "John", "last": "Doe"}, "age": 30}";
        String json2 = "{"name": {"first": "Jane", "last": "Doe"}, "age": 25}";

        JsonNode diff = compareJsonAsTrees(json1, json2);

        System.out.println("JSON Diff: " + diff.toString());
    }
}

2.2.6. Explanation

• The compareJsonAsTrees method uses Jackson’s ObjectMapper to read the JSON strings as JsonNode instances.
• It then uses the JsonDiff.asJson method from the com.github.fge:json-patch library to compute the difference between the two JSON trees.
• The result is a JsonNode representing the JSON patch that describes the differences between the two JSON objects.

2.2.7. Setting Up json-patch

To use JsonDiff, you need to add the following dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.github.fge</groupId>
    <artifactId>json-patch</artifactId>
    <version>1.9</version>
</dependency>

2.2.8. Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Handles nested JSON structures well.
  • Provides a detailed JSON patch describing the differences.
  • Uses widely used and reliable libraries (Jackson and json-patch).
• Cons:
  • Requires additional dependency (json-patch).
  • The JSON patch format might be complex to understand for simple cases.
  • May not be the most efficient solution for very large JSON objects.

2.3. Using Gson Library

Gson is another popular Java library for working with JSON. It provides a simple and easy-to-use API for serializing and deserializing JSON.

2.3.1. Setting Up Gson

To use Gson, you need to add the following dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
    <artifactId>gson</artifactId>
    <version>2.10.1</version>
</dependency>

2.3.2. Comparing JSON as Maps

Similar to Jackson, you can compare JSON objects using Gson by reading them as Map instances and then comparing the maps.

import com.google.common.collect.MapDifference;
import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
import com.google.gson.Gson;
import com.google.gson.reflect.TypeToken;

import java.lang.reflect.Type;
import java.util.Map;

public class GsonMapComparator {

    public static MapDifference<String, Object> compareJsonAsMaps(String json1, String json2) {
        Gson gson = new Gson();
        Type type = new TypeToken<Map<String, Object>>() {}.getType();

        Map<String, Object> leftMap = gson.fromJson(json1, type);
        Map<String, Object> rightMap = gson.fromJson(json2, type);

        return Maps.difference(leftMap, rightMap);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String json1 = "{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}";
        String json2 = "{"age": 30, "name": "John", "country": "USA"}";

        MapDifference<String, Object> difference = compareJsonAsMaps(json1, json2);

        System.out.println("Entries only on left: " + difference.entriesOnlyOnLeft());
        System.out.println("Entries only on right: " + difference.entriesOnlyOnRight());
        System.out.println("Entries differing: " + difference.entriesDiffering());
        System.out.println("Entries in common: " + difference.entriesInCommon());
    }
}

2.3.3. Explanation

• The compareJsonAsMaps method uses Gson’s fromJson method to read the JSON strings as Map<String, Object> instances.
• It then uses Guava’s Maps.difference method to compare the maps and returns a MapDifference object.
• The MapDifference object provides information about the entries that are only on the left, only on the right, differing, and in common.

2.3.4. Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Easy to use for simple JSON structures.
  • Provides detailed information about the differences.
  • Uses widely used and reliable libraries (Gson and Guava).
• Cons:
  • Does not handle nested JSON structures well.
  • Requires additional dependency (Guava).
  • May not be efficient for large JSON objects.

2.4 Using JSONassert Library

JSONassert is an assertion library specifically designed for JSON. It allows you to verify that a JSON structure matches your expectations.

2.4.1 Setting Up JSONassert

To use JSONassert, you need to add the following dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.skyscreamer</groupId>
    <artifactId>jsonassert</artifactId>
    <version>1.5.1</version>
    <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

2.4.2 Comparing JSON Objects with JSONassert

JSONassert offers various ways to compare JSON objects, including strict and lenient comparisons. Here’s an example:

import org.json.JSONException;
import org.skyscreamer.jsonassert.JSONAssert;
import org.skyscreamer.jsonassert.JSONCompareMode;

public class JsonAssertComparator {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws JSONException {
        String expectedJson = "{"name":"John","age":30,"city":"New York"}";
        String actualJson = "{"age":30,"name":"John","city":"New York"}";
        String differentJson = "{"name":"Jane","age":25,"city":"Los Angeles"}";

        // Strict comparison: Order matters
        JSONAssert.assertEquals(expectedJson, actualJson, JSONCompareMode.STRICT);

        // Lenient comparison: Order doesn't matter
        JSONAssert.assertEquals(expectedJson, actualJson, JSONCompareMode.LENIENT);

        // Comparing different JSONs
        try {
            JSONAssert.assertEquals(expectedJson, differentJson, JSONCompareMode.STRICT);
        } catch (AssertionError e) {
            System.out.println("JSONs are different: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    }
}

2.4.3 Explanation

• The assertEquals method compares two JSON strings based on the specified JSONCompareMode.
• STRICT mode requires the JSON structures to be exactly the same, including the order of elements.
• LENIENT mode ignores the order of elements and focuses on the presence and values of keys.
• If the JSONs are different, an AssertionError is thrown, providing details about the discrepancies.
  

  2.4.4 Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Designed specifically for JSON comparison and assertions.
  • Supports different comparison modes (strict, lenient).
  • Provides detailed error messages when comparisons fail.
• Cons:
  • Primarily for testing and assertion purposes, may not be suitable for all comparison scenarios.
  • Requires understanding of JSONassert’s comparison modes and options.
  • May not be as flexible as other libraries for complex transformations or diff generation.
    

    3. Advanced Techniques For JSON Comparison

Beyond the basic methods, there are advanced techniques that can be used to compare JSON objects in Java, especially when dealing with complex scenarios.

3.1. Flattening JSON Objects

Flattening a JSON object involves converting it into a single-level map where the keys represent the path to each value in the original JSON. This can be useful for comparing JSON objects with deeply nested structures.

3.1.1. Example Code

Here’s an example of how to flatten a JSON object using Jackson:

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Map;

public class JsonFlattener {

    public static Map<String, Object> flatten(String json) throws IOException {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        JsonNode node = mapper.readTree(json);
        Map<String, Object> flattenedJson = new HashMap<>();
        flatten(node, "", flattenedJson);
        return flattenedJson;
    }

    private static void flatten(JsonNode node, String path, Map<String, Object> flattenedJson) {
        if (node.isObject()) {
            Iterator<String> fieldNames = node.fieldNames();
            while (fieldNames.hasNext()) {
                String fieldName = fieldNames.next();
                JsonNode childNode = node.get(fieldName);
                flatten(childNode, path + fieldName + "/", flattenedJson);
            }
        } else if (node.isArray()) {
            for (int i = 0; i < node.size(); i++) {
                JsonNode childNode = node.get(i);
                flatten(childNode, path + i + "/", flattenedJson);
            }
        } else {
            flattenedJson.put(path.substring(0, path.length() - 1), node.asText());
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String json = "{"name": {"first": "John", "last": "Doe"}, "age": 30, "city": "New York"}";
        Map<String, Object> flattenedJson = flatten(json);
        flattenedJson.forEach((key, value) -> System.out.println(key + ": " + value));
    }
}

3.1.2. Explanation

• The flatten method takes a JSON string as input and returns a Map<String, Object> representing the flattened JSON.
• It uses Jackson’s ObjectMapper to read the JSON string as a JsonNode.
• The flatten method recursively traverses the JSON tree and builds the flattened map.
• The keys in the flattened map represent the path to each value in the original JSON, using a / as a separator.

3.1.3. Comparing Flattened JSON Objects

Once you have flattened the JSON objects, you can compare them using Guava’s Maps.difference method, as shown in the previous examples.

3.2. Using JSON Schema For Validation

JSON Schema is a vocabulary that allows you to annotate and validate JSON documents. It can be used to ensure that a JSON object conforms to a specific structure and data types.

3.2.1. Setting Up json-schema-validator

To use JSON Schema validation in Java, you can use the com.github.everit-org.json-schema library. Add the following dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.github.everit-org.json-schema</groupId>
    <artifactId>org.everit.json.schema</artifactId>
    <version>1.14.4</version>
</dependency>

3.2.2. Example Code

Here’s an example of how to validate a JSON object against a JSON schema:

import org.everit.json.schema.Schema;
import org.everit.json.schema.ValidationException;
import org.everit.json.schema.loader.SchemaLoader;
import org.json.JSONObject;
import org.json.JSONTokener;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;

public class JsonSchemaValidator {

    public static void validate(String schemaPath, String json) throws IOException {
        try (InputStream schemaStream = JsonSchemaValidator.class.getResourceAsStream(schemaPath)) {
            JSONObject rawSchema = new JSONObject(new JSONTokener(schemaStream));
            Schema schema = SchemaLoader.load(rawSchema);
            schema.validate(new JSONObject(json));
            System.out.println("JSON is valid against the schema.");
        } catch (ValidationException e) {
            System.out.println("JSON is not valid against the schema: " + e.getMessage());
            e.getViolations().forEach(System.out::println);
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String schemaPath = "/schema.json";
        String validJson = "{"name": "John", "age": 30}";
        String invalidJson = "{"name": "John", "age": "abc"}";

        validate(schemaPath, validJson);
        validate(schemaPath, invalidJson);
    }
}

3.2.3. Explanation

• The validate method takes the path to a JSON schema file and a JSON string as input.
• It reads the JSON schema from the file and creates a Schema object.
• It then validates the JSON string against the schema using the validate method.
• If the JSON is valid, it prints a success message.
• If the JSON is invalid, it prints an error message and the list of validation violations.

3.2.4. Example schema.json

Here’s an example of a schema.json file:

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "name": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "age": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 0
    }
  },
  "required": ["name", "age"]
}

3.2.5. Using JSON Schema For Comparison

While JSON Schema is primarily used for validation, it can also be used for comparison. By validating two JSON objects against the same schema, you can ensure that they have the same structure and data types. Any differences in the validation results would indicate differences between the JSON objects.

3.3. Custom Comparison Logic

In some cases, you might need to implement custom comparison logic to handle specific requirements. This could involve ignoring certain fields, applying custom data type conversions, or using a specific algorithm for comparing values.

3.3.1. Example Code

Here’s an example of how to implement custom comparison logic using Jackson:

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.HashMap;

public class CustomJsonComparator {

    public static Map<String, Object> compareJson(String json1, String json2) throws IOException {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        JsonNode node1 = mapper.readTree(json1);
        JsonNode node2 = mapper.readTree(json2);

        Map<String, Object> differences = new HashMap<>();
        compareNodes(node1, node2, "", differences);

        return differences;
    }

    private static void compareNodes(JsonNode node1, JsonNode node2, String path, Map<String, Object> differences) {
        if (node1.isObject() && node2.isObject()) {
            compareObjects(node1, node2, path, differences);
        } else if (node1.isArray() && node2.isArray()) {
            compareArrays(node1, node2, path, differences);
        } else {
            compareValues(node1, node2, path, differences);
        }
    }

    private static void compareObjects(JsonNode node1, JsonNode node2, String path, Map<String, Object> differences) {
        Iterator<String> fieldNames1 = node1.fieldNames();
        while (fieldNames1.hasNext()) {
            String fieldName = fieldNames1.next();
            JsonNode childNode1 = node1.get(fieldName);
            JsonNode childNode2 = node2.get(fieldName);
            String currentPath = path.isEmpty() ? fieldName : path + "." + fieldName;

            if (childNode2 == null) {
                differences.put(currentPath, "Value missing in the second JSON");
            } else {
                compareNodes(childNode1, childNode2, currentPath, differences);
            }
        }

        Iterator<String> fieldNames2 = node2.fieldNames();
        while (fieldNames2.hasNext()) {
            String fieldName = fieldNames2.next();
            if (node1.get(fieldName) == null) {
                String currentPath = path.isEmpty() ? fieldName : path + "." + fieldName;
                differences.put(currentPath, "Value missing in the first JSON");
            }
        }
    }

    private static void compareArrays(JsonNode node1, JsonNode node2, String path, Map<String, Object> differences) {
        if (node1.size() != node2.size()) {
            differences.put(path, "Arrays have different sizes");
            return;
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < node1.size(); i++) {
            JsonNode childNode1 = node1.get(i);
            JsonNode childNode2 = node2.get(i);
            String currentPath = path + "[" + i + "]";
            compareNodes(childNode1, childNode2, currentPath, differences);
        }
    }

    private static void compareValues(JsonNode node1, JsonNode node2, String path, Map<String, Object> differences) {
        if (!node1.equals(node2)) {
            differences.put(path, "Values differ: " + node1.asText() + " vs " + node2.asText());
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String json1 = "{"name": {"first": "John", "last": "Doe"}, "age": 30, "city": "New York"}";
        String json2 = "{"name": {"first": "Jane", "last": "Doe"}, "age": 25, "country": "USA"}";

        Map<String, Object> differences = compareJson(json1, json2);

        differences.forEach((key, value) -> System.out.println(key + ": " + value));
    }
}

3.3.2. Explanation

• The compareJson method takes two JSON strings as input and returns a Map<String, Object> representing the differences between the JSON objects.
• It uses Jackson’s ObjectMapper to read the JSON strings as JsonNode instances.
• The compareNodes method recursively traverses the JSON trees and compares the nodes.
• The compareObjects, compareArrays, and compareValues methods implement the custom comparison logic for objects, arrays, and values, respectively.
• The differences map stores the path and description of each difference found.

3.3.3. Custom Logic Examples

Here are some examples of custom comparison logic that you might want to implement:

• Ignoring Fields: You can ignore certain fields by checking the field name in the compareObjects method and skipping the comparison if the field should be ignored.
• Data Type Conversions: You can convert data types in the compareValues method before comparing the values. For example, you could convert a string to an integer or a boolean before comparing it to another value.
• Custom Algorithms: You can use custom algorithms for comparing values. For example, you could use a fuzzy string matching algorithm to compare strings that are similar but not exactly the same.

4. Optimizing Performance For Large JSON Objects

Comparing large JSON objects can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. Here are some tips for optimizing performance:

4.1. Streaming JSON Parsing

Instead of reading the entire JSON object into memory at once, you can use streaming JSON parsing to process the JSON object in chunks. This can significantly reduce memory usage and improve performance.

4.1.1. Example Code

Here’s an example of how to use streaming JSON parsing with Jackson:

import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonFactory;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonParser;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.JsonToken;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.StringReader;

public class StreamingJsonParser {

    public static void parseJson(String json) throws IOException {
        JsonFactory factory = new JsonFactory();
        JsonParser parser = factory.createParser(new StringReader(json));

        while (parser.nextToken() != null) {
            JsonToken token = parser.getCurrentToken();
            String fieldName = parser.getCurrentName();

            if (token == JsonToken.FIELD_NAME) {
                System.out.println("Field Name: " + fieldName);
            } else if (token == JsonToken.VALUE_STRING) {
                System.out.println("String Value: " + parser.getText());
            } else if (token == JsonToken.VALUE_NUMBER_INT) {
                System.out.println("Integer Value: " + parser.getIntValue());
            } else if (token == JsonToken.START_ARRAY) {
                System.out.println("Start Array");
            } else if (token == JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
                System.out.println("End Array");
            }
        }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        String json = "{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York", "phones": ["123-456-7890", "987-654-3210"]}";
        parseJson(json);
    }
}

4.1.2. Explanation

• The parseJson method takes a JSON string as input and uses Jackson’s JsonFactory and JsonParser to parse the JSON object in a streaming fashion.
• The nextToken method reads the next token from the JSON stream.
• The getCurrentToken method returns the current token type.
• The getCurrentName, getText, and getIntValue methods return the value of the current token.

4.1.3. Using Streaming For Comparison

You can use streaming JSON parsing to compare large JSON objects by reading the JSON objects in chunks and comparing the corresponding chunks. This can significantly reduce memory usage and improve performance.

4.2. Parallel Processing

If you have multiple CPU cores available, you can use parallel processing to compare different parts of the JSON objects concurrently. This can significantly reduce the overall comparison time.

4.2.1. Example Code

Here’s an example of how to use parallel processing with Java’s ExecutorService:

import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
import java.util.concurrent.Future;

public class ParallelJsonComparator {

    public static List<String> compareJson(String json1, String json2, int numThreads) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        JsonNode node1 = mapper.readTree(json1);
        JsonNode node2 = mapper.readTree(json2);

        List<String> differences = new ArrayList<>();
        ExecutorService executor = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(numThreads);
        List<Future<List<String>>> futures = new ArrayList<>();

        int chunkSize = node1.size() / numThreads;
        for (int i = 0; i < numThreads; i++) {
            int start = i * chunkSize;
            int end = (i == numThreads - 1) ? node1.size() : (i + 1) * chunkSize;

            Callable<List<String>> task = () -> {
                List<String> localDifferences = new ArrayList<>();
                for (int j = start; j < end; j++) {
                    if (!node1.get(j).equals(node2.get(j))) {
                        localDifferences.add("Difference at index: " + j);
                    }
                }
                return localDifferences;
            };

            futures.add(executor.submit(task));
        }

        executor.shutdown();

        for (Future<List<String>> future : futures) {
            try {
                differences.addAll(future.get());
            } catch (Exception e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
        }

        return differences;
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
        String json1 = "[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]";
        String json2 = "[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11]";

        int numThreads = 4;
        List<String> differences = compareJson(json1, json2, numThreads);

        differences