➕JSON Patch Add Operation

Insert new values into JSON objects and arrays

RFC 6902

add operation

What is the Add Operation?

The add operation inserts a new value into a JSON document at the specified path. If the path points to an existing array element, the new value is inserted before that element. If the path ends with a hyphen (-), the value is appended to the array.

Syntax

{ "op": "add", "path": "/path/to/target", "value": <any JSON value> }

Examples

Add to Object

Add a new property to an object

Patch:

{ "op": "add", "path": "/email", "value": "john@example.com" }

Before:

{ "name": "John" }

After:

{ "name": "John", "email": "john@example.com" }

Add to Array

Append an item to an array

Patch:

{ "op": "add", "path": "/items/-", "value": "new item" }

Before:

{ "items": ["a", "b"] }

After:

{ "items": ["a", "b", "new item"] }

Insert at Index

Insert at a specific array position

Patch:

{ "op": "add", "path": "/items/1", "value": "inserted" }

Before:

{ "items": ["a", "b", "c"] }

After:

{ "items": ["a", "inserted", "b", "c"] }

Common Use Cases

Adding new fields to user profiles
Inserting items into shopping carts
Appending log entries
Adding new configuration options

Best Practices

Use "/-" to append to arrays without knowing the length
The parent path must exist before adding nested values
Adding to an existing path will replace the value (use replace for clarity)

Try the Add Operation Now

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Other JSON Patch Operations

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remove

🔄

replace

📦

move

📋

copy

✅

test

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📚Documentation

Complete RFC 6902 guide and best practices

💡Examples

Real-world JSON Patch scenarios and use cases