Newtonsoft Json Dll May 2026

public class UnixDateTimeConverter : JsonConverter<DateTime>

In the sprawling universe of .NET development, few third-party libraries have achieved the ubiquity and lasting influence of Newtonsoft.Json (also known as Json.NET). For over a decade, it has been the default, instinctive choice for handling JSON—whether you were building a tiny console app, a massive enterprise web API, or a cross-platform mobile backend with Xamarin. newtonsoft json dll

So pour one out for the DLL that refused to die. And then maybe add a reference to it, because your appsettings.json file still needs parsing. Have a Newtonsoft war story? A custom converter that saved your bacon? Share it in the comments below. And then maybe add a reference to it,

| Feature | Newtonsoft.Json | System.Text.Json | |---------|----------------|------------------| | Default property name casing | Preserved | camelCase | | Non-public members | Can serialize with opt-in | Not supported | | Dictionary with non-string keys | Serializes as JSON object | Throws or requires converter | | Cyclic references | ReferenceLoopHandling.Ignore | Not supported | | DateTime handling | ISO by default | Strict ISO (no legacy formats) | Share it in the comments below

dotnet add package Newtonsoft.Json Or via Package Manager Console:

TypeNameHandling = TypeNameHandling.Auto ; (Warning: Only use this for trusted data—it's a security risk if you deserialize untrusted JSON.) Newtonsoft.Json is not the fastest library anymore. Microsoft's System.Text.Json is significantly faster, allocates less memory, and is more modern (using Utf8JsonReader and Utf8JsonWriter ). Benchmarks typically show System.Text.Json being 20-50% faster for serialization and 30-80% faster for deserialization.

var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings