<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<topic id="Introduction" revisionNumber="1">
  <developerConceptualDocument xmlns="http://ddue.schemas.microsoft.com/authoring/2003/5" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
    <!--
    <summary>
      <para>Optional summary abstract</para>
    </summary>
    -->
    <introduction>
      <para>Json.NET is a popular high-performance JSON framework for .NET</para>
    </introduction>
    <!-- Optional procedures followed by optional code example but must have
         at least one procedure or code example -->
<section>
 <title>Benefits and Features</title>
<content>
<list class="bullet">
   <listItem>
        <para>Flexible JSON serializer for converting between .NET objects and JSON</para>
    </listItem>
   <listItem>
        <para>LINQ to JSON for manually reading and writing JSON </para>
    </listItem>
   <listItem>
        <para>High performance: faster than .NET's built-in JSON serializers</para>
    </listItem>
   <listItem>
        <para>Write indented, easy-to-read JSON</para>
    </listItem>
   <listItem>
        <para>Convert JSON to and from XML</para>
    </listItem>
   <listItem>
        <para>Supports .NET 2, .NET 3.5, .NET 4, .NET 4.5, Silverlight, Windows Phone and Windows 8 Store</para>
    </listItem>

</list>
<para>The JSON serializer in Json.NET is a good choice when the JSON you are reading or writing maps closely to a .NET class.</para>
<para>LINQ to JSON is good for situations where you are only interested in
getting values from JSON, you don't have a class to serialize or deserialize to, 
or the JSON is radically different from your class and you need to manually read 
and write from your objects.</para>
</content>
</section>

<section>
 <title>Getting Started</title>
 <content>

<list class="bullet">
  <listItem><para><link xlink:href="SerializingJSON" /></para></listItem>
  <listItem><para><link xlink:href="LINQtoJSON" /></para></listItem>
  <listItem><para><link xlink:href="Samples" /></para></listItem>
</list>
 
 </content>
</section>
<section>
 <title>History</title>
 <content><para>Json.NET grew out of projects I was working on in late 2005 involving JavaScript,
            AJAX, and .NET. At the time there were no libraries for working with JavaScript in
            .NET, so I made my own.</para>
 <para>Starting out as a couple of static methods for escaping JavaScript strings, Json.NET
            evolved as features were added. To add support for reading JSON a major refactor
            was required, and Json.NET was split into the three major classes it still uses
            today: JsonReader, JsonWriter and JsonSerializer.</para>
 <para>Json.NET was first released in June 2006. Since then Json.NET has been downloaded
            hundreds of thousands of times by developers from around the world. It is used in many major open
            source projects, including: <externalLink>
                <linkText>Mono</linkText>
                <linkUri>http://www.mono-project.com/</linkUri>
                <linkTarget>_blank</linkTarget>
            </externalLink>,
            an open source implementation
            of the .NET framework; <externalLink>
                <linkText>RavenDB</linkText>
                <linkUri>http://ravendb.net/</linkUri>
                <linkTarget>_blank</linkTarget>
            </externalLink>,
            a JSON based document database; <externalLink>
                <linkText>ASP.NET SignalR</linkText>
                <linkUri>http://signalr.net/</linkUri>
                <linkTarget>_blank</linkTarget>
            </externalLink>,
            an async library for building real-time, multi-user interactive web applications; and <externalLink>
                <linkText>ASP.NET Web API</linkText>
                <linkUri>http://www.asp.net/web-api</linkUri>
                <linkTarget>_blank</linkTarget>
            </externalLink>,
            Microsoft's HTTP service framework.</para>
</content>
</section>

<section>
 <title>Donate</title>
 <content><para>Json.NET is a personal open source project. Started in 2006, I have put thousands of hours into adding, refining, and tuning Json.NET with the goal of making it not just the best JSON serializer for .NET, but the best serializer for any computer language. I need your
 help to achieve this.</para>

 <markup>
 <p>
   <a href="http://www.pledgie.com/campaigns/18941" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.pledgie.com/campaigns/18941.png?skin_name=chrome" alt="Click here to lend your support to: Json.NET and make a donation at www.pledgie.com !" border="0" /></a>
 </p>
 </markup>
 </content>
</section>

    <relatedTopics>
       <link xlink:href="SerializingJSON" />
       <link xlink:href="LINQtoJSON" />
       <link xlink:href="Samples" />
    </relatedTopics>

  </developerConceptualDocument>
</topic>