How Can I Efficiently Parse Large, Multi-Array JSON Files in .NET?

Parsing Large, Multi-Array JSON Files in .NET

Parsing large JSON files can be a challenge in .NET, especially if the JSON structure is non-standard. One common issue encountered when using the JsonConvert.Deserialize method is that it can throw an exception for large files.

This issue typically occurs when the JSON file contains an array followed by another array without a delimiter. This format is invalid in JSON, causing JsonConvert.Deserialize to fail.

To resolve this issue, Json.NET provides the JsonTextReader class, which allows for more flexible parsing of JSON content. By setting the SupportMultipleContent flag to true in JsonTextReader, we can parse multiple arrays from a single JSON file as separate objects.

Here's an updated code sample demonstrating this technique:

using (WebClient client = new WebClient())
using (Stream stream = client.OpenRead(stringUrl))
using (StreamReader streamReader = new StreamReader(stream))
using (JsonTextReader reader = new JsonTextReader(streamReader))
{
    reader.SupportMultipleContent = true;

    var serializer = new JsonSerializer();
    while (reader.Read())
    {
        if (reader.TokenType == JsonToken.StartObject)
        {
            Contact c = serializer.Deserialize<Contact>(reader);
            Console.WriteLine(c.FirstName + " " + c.LastName);
        }
    }
}

This approach allows us to parse the non-standard JSON file in a memory-efficient manner, regardless of the number of arrays or items in each array. The sample JSON provided in the question can be successfully processed using this technique.

For a full demonstration, refer to the following link: https://dotnetfiddle.net/2TQa8p

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