PowerShell JSON

Preserve nested data deliberately and verify the properties after converting it back.

Lesson 2 min read Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7

Written and tested by Dhrub Bharali · Updated 02 October 2026

Overview

The configuration example contains strings, a number and a Targets array. JSON can represent that nested shape, whereas a flat CSV field needs an additional convention to store a list.

ConvertTo-Json has a serialization depth limit. Choose a depth that covers the schema you intend to exchange. Increasing it blindly can expose large or sensitive properties from operational objects, so build a small report object first.

For a JSON file, read the complete document with Get-Content -Raw before ConvertFrom-Json. Newline-delimited JSON is different: each line is its own document and needs its own conversion. An HTML error page from an API is not malformed application JSON; diagnose the response first.

Round-tripping through JSON does not preserve every .NET type or method. Verify values and structure that the receiving application needs rather than assuming that the original live object has been reconstructed.

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$config = [pscustomobject]@{
  Environment = 'Production'
  Retries = 3
  Targets = @('WEB01' , 'WEB02') }
$config | ConvertTo-Json

Stage 1$configPositional values or no named parameters
Stage 2ConvertTo-JsonPositional values or no named parameters

An example to inspect

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$config = [pscustomobject]@{
  Environment = 'Production'
  Retries = 3
  Targets = @('WEB01' , 'WEB02') }
$config | ConvertTo-Json

What happens

The Targets value should remain an array containing WEB01 and WEB02. After conversion back, inspect Targets.Count and Retries. For deeper data, check a specific nested property as well as the top-level fields.

Worth remembering

A successful conversion is only the first check. Confirm the fields and nesting your consumer relies on.

Primary documentation

Microsoft Learn: convertto-json

Try it

Illustrative output · values vary by environment

1PS> $config = [pscustomobject]@{

2PS> Environment = 'Production'

3PS> Retries = 3

4PS> Targets = @('WEB01' , 'WEB02') }

5PS> $config | ConvertTo-Json

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$config = [pscustomobject]@{
  Environment = 'Production'
  Retries = 3
  Targets = @('WEB01' , 'WEB02') }
$config | ConvertTo-Json

Ready to inspect.

Serialises an object containing an array to JSON.

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