correct HTTP header for json file

Question

I've searched around and found two different ways to define Content-type for JSON file loaded with php.

header('Content-type: text/json');
header('Content-type: application/json');

which one should be used ?

Answer 1

AFIK IANA has officially registered a MIME type for JSON as application/json in RFC4627, also is listed in the Internet Media Type list.

Answer 2

Look at things like the Apache Axis spec. They favor application/json.

Answer 3

application/json is favored but usually web browsers don't know what to do with those headers and screws it up. For stuff like jquery, I have seen text/html recommended. If you are having errors pop up (e.g. download dialog box) then try text/html

Answer 4

I recently had a very strange run in with this.

I had a form which used jQuery to do an AJAX lookup against a PHP script, and then return the response as JSON, formed using PHP's json_encode() function.

It was all working fine for a couple of months, then this morning it stopped working... It turns out the javascript couldn't parse the JSON correctly.

My original method used eval.

I.e. var p = eval('(' + msg + ')');

But that gave me the error: missing ] after element list

I then tried using var p = JSON.parse(msg);

Using the json2.js library from json.org. This also failed.

I checked my JSON was formatted correctly using an online tool - it was.

In the end I tried changing the header type I was setting in the PHP script which was being called by jQuery AJAX.

I changed it from application/json to text/plain

And both the eval() and the JSON.parse solutions immediately worked... Much to my relief as I was running out of ideas.

Very odd and still don't know quite why, but thought I'd post here in case someone runs into a similar issue, or anybody can provide an explanation.

Answer 5

Thanks for this, been struggeling a few days. I still don't understand why IE7 only accepts text/plain. But all my stuff also works in IE7 now, i'm happy!

Answer 6

How to configure this script to access localhost web service written in rails? I want to post something like this in json: { post: { title : 'HelloAndroid' } }.

Thanks in advance