What is TOON?

The AI-Optimized Data Format

Overview

TOON (Token Optimized Object Notation) is a lightweight data serialization format explicitly designed for Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini.

While JSON is the standard for web APIs, it is verbose and token-heavy. Large arrays of objects in JSON repeat keys redundantly, wasting valuable context window space and increasing API costs. TOON solves this by using a schema-less, positional syntax that focuses on the data itself, not the structure.

JSON vs. TOON Comparison

See how TOON reduces token usage by eliminating redundant syntax.

Feature JSON TOON
Syntax Verbose (Brackets, Quotes, Commas) Minimal (Whitespace, Indentation)
Key Repetition Repeated for every object Defined once in header
Token Efficiency Baseline 30-60% Savings
Human Readability Good Excellent (Like a table)
LLM Parsing Standard Faster & Cheaper

By The Numbers

JSON (128 Tokens)
[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Alice Smith",
    "role": "Admin",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  },
  {
    "id": 2,
    "name": "Bob Jones",
    "role": "User",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
]
TOON (54 Tokens)
| id | name | role | email |
1 | Alice Smith | Admin | [email protected]
2 | Bob Jones | User | [email protected]

In this simple example, TOON reduces the token count by over 50%. For large datasets with thousands of records, the savings are massive, directly translating to lower API bills and faster response times.

Ready to Optimize?

Convert your JSON files to TOON instantly and start saving tokens today.

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