jsonfield

What it is and what it does

jsonfield is a Django model field for storing JSON data that handles serialization and deserialization automatically. It wraps JSON values so they can be persisted to the database and queried using basic lookups (exact, regex). The field supports customization of null handling and deserialization behavior (e.g., using OrderedDict for key ordering).

However, this package is deprecated and no longer maintained. Django 3.1 introduced a native JSONField that works across all supported database backends, making jsonfield obsolete. The package's last release was over a year ago, and its status is marked inactive. New projects should use Django's built-in JSONField; existing projects using jsonfield should plan a migration, which the documentation describes as generally straightforward but may require data migrations in complex cases.

Use it for:

• Storing flexible JSON structures in Django models when using older Django versions (pre-3.1) that lack native JSONField support.
• Migrating legacy Django applications that already use jsonfield and need to maintain compatibility during a transition period.
• Querying JSON fields with basic exact or regex lookups in projects that do not require advanced JSON query capabilities.
• Customizing JSON deserialization behavior (e.g., preserving key order with OrderedDict) in older Django codebases.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

A Django model field that stores and retrieves JSON data with automatic serialization and deserialization, now deprecated in favor of Django's native JSONField.

No—do not install this package for new projects. It is deprecated and inactive; Django 3.1+ provides a native, maintained JSONField. If you maintain legacy code already using jsonfield, plan a migration to Django's implementation. The package carries no security vulnerabilities but receives no updates and will eventually be archived.

Install

jsonfield on PyPI

pip install jsonfield

uv add jsonfield

poetry add jsonfield

Installing jsonfield

Before you install

Low friction installation, but the package is marked inactive (Development Status 7) and explicitly deprecated since Django 3.1 introduced native JSONField support. Last release was 406 days ago. Existing projects should plan migration to Django's implementation rather than adopt this package.

License in practice

MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it legally safe to use or modify—though the deprecation status makes long-term reliance inadvisable.

Quickstart

pip install jsonfield

from django.db import models
from jsonfield import JSONField

class MyModel(models.Model):
    json = JSONField()

Requires Django and Python 3.10 or later. Package is deprecated; Django 3.1+ users should migrate to models.JSONField instead.

Verify before relying

• Whether existing projects using this package face any compatibility issues with current Django versions beyond the deprecation notice.
• Whether the migration path from jsonfield.JSONField to models.JSONField is truly straightforward for complex schemas or custom validators.

Package facts

Evidence: jsonfield-3.2.0-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Database packages