Advanced Patterns

JSSON isn’t just for simple key-value pairs. Its features can be combined to solve complex configuration challenges. Here are some advanced patterns to supercharge your workflow.

🧪 Test Data Generation

Need to generate thousands of records for load testing? JSSON’s ranges and string concatenation make it trivial.

Generating Dates

Combine numeric ranges with string concatenation to generate calendar dates:

JSSON

test_data [
template { date, event }

map (row) = {
  date = "2025-01-" + row.day
  event = "Login Attempt"
  status = "Success"
}

// Generate dates from 1 to 31
1..31
]

JSON Output

{
"test_data": [
  {
    "date": "2025-01-1",
    "event": "Login Attempt",
    "status": "Success"
  },
  // ... up to 31
  {
    "date": "2025-01-31",
    "event": "Login Attempt",
    "status": "Success"
  }
]
}

Generating User Accounts

Create realistic user profiles by zipping ranges and using templates:

JSSON

users [
template { id, department }

map (u) = {
  id = u.id
  username = "user_" + u.id
  email = "user_" + u.id + "@company.com"
  dept = u.department
  role = "employee"
}

// Generate 5 users for Engineering
100..104, Engineering

// Generate 5 users for Sales
200..204, Sales
]

JSON Output

{
"users": [
  {
    "id": 100,
    "username": "user_100",
    "email": "user_100@company.com",
    "dept": "Engineering",
    "role": "employee"
  },
  // ...
  {
    "id": 204,
    "username": "user_204",
    "email": "user_204@company.com",
    "dept": "Sales",
    "role": "employee"
  }
]
}

🌍 Environment Management

Manage multiple environments (Dev, Staging, Prod) cleanly using the Base + Overlay pattern with include.

1. Base Configuration (base.jsson)

Define the common settings shared across all environments.

base.jsson

app {
  name = "MyApp"
  version = "1.0.0"
  retry_attempts = 3
}

database {
  driver = "postgres"
  pool_size = 10
}

2. Environment Overlays (prod.jsson)

Include the base config and override only what changes.

prod.jsson

include "base.jsson"

// Override database settings for production
database {
  host = "prod-db.aws.com"
  pool_size = 100  // Higher pool size for prod
}

// Add prod-specific settings
logging {
  level = "error"
  format = "json"
}

Why this works: JSSON’s include merges the included file into the current scope. If you redefine a key (like database), JSSON merges the new properties into the existing object, allowing for granular overrides.

🏷️ Dynamic Resource Naming

Enforce naming conventions automatically using the map clause. This ensures consistency across your infrastructure configuration.

JSSON

resources [
template { name, type, region }

map (res) = {
  // Auto-generate standardized ID: type-name-region
  id = res.type + "-" + res.name + "-" + res.region

  // Pass through original fields
  name = res.name
  type = res.type
  region = res.region

  // Add default tags
  tags {
    managed_by = "jsson"
    env = "production"
  }
}

"web-server", ec2, "us-east-1"
"db-primary", rds, "us-west-2"
"cache-cluster", redis, "eu-central-1"
]

JSON Output

{
"resources": [
  {
    "id": "ec2-web-server-us-east-1",
    "name": "web-server",
    "type": "ec2",
    "region": "us-east-1",
    "tags": { "managed_by": "jsson", "env": "production" }
  },
  {
    "id": "rds-db-primary-us-west-2",
    "name": "db-primary",
    "type": "rds",
    "region": "us-west-2",
    "tags": { "managed_by": "jsson", "env": "production" }
  },
  {
    "id": "redis-cache-cluster-eu-central-1",
    "name": "cache-cluster",
    "type": "redis",
    "region": "eu-central-1",
    "tags": { "managed_by": "jsson", "env": "production" }
  }
]
}

🔢 Matrix Generation

Need to generate a matrix of configurations? Use nested templates or simple multiplication logic.

JSSON

// Generating a grid of coordinates
grid [
template { x, y }

// This is a simple way to visualize it,
// though JSSON doesn't have a 'cross-product' operator yet,
// you can list ranges explicitly for simple grids.

1..3, 1
1..3, 2
1..3, 3
]

JSON Output

{
"grid": [
  { "x": 1, "y": 1 }, { "x": 2, "y": 1 }, { "x": 3, "y": 1 },
  { "x": 1, "y": 2 }, { "x": 2, "y": 2 }, { "x": 3, "y": 2 },
  { "x": 1, "y": 3 }, { "x": 2, "y": 3 }, { "x": 3, "y": 3 }
]
}