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Making a python class easy serializable to json

When searching around the web on how to serialize a python class to json I found no easy and clean solution. So here is my best and cleanest solution for python3.

#!/usr/bin/env python3 import json from dataclasses import dataclass @dataclass class Person: first: str last: str age: int @property def __json__(self): return { "name": f"{self.first} {self.last}", "age": self.age } john = Person("John", "Doe", 42) print(json.dumps(john, indent=4, default=lambda x: x.__json__))
Code language: Python (python)

This way you could also serialize nested classes, as __json__ returns a python object and not a string. No need to use a JSONEncoder, as the default parameter with a simple lambda also works fine.

I’ve used @property instead of a simple function, as this feels more natural and modern. The @dataclass is also just an example, it works for a “normal” class as well.

I’ve also posted this solution on stackoverflow, and I really do not understand why nobody found this simple and clean solution earlier. But I guess most people would not scroll down to my answer. Upvote it, if you like.

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