JSON Schema Draft-07: Enhancements and Validation

JSON Schema Draft-07, published on March 19, 2018, introduces significant updates to enhance the functionality of JSON Schemas over its predecessor, Draft-06, while maintaining backward compatibility is not its primary focus. This draft includes several key documents, such as the Core, Validation, and Hyper-Schema specifications. Notable authors for Draft-07 include Austin Wright and Henry Andrews.

The Validation specification within JSON Schema aims to define criteria for a JSON document (an ‘instance’) to meet by utilizing various keywords. These keywords describe the meaning of JSON documents and provide assertions about what constitutes a valid document. For instance, the ‘type’ keyword is crucial for validating data types. Developers can access comprehensive reference documentation on the [json-schema.org](https://json-schema.org/understanding-json-schema/reference) website, covering topics from basic data types to advanced techniques like conditional validation and schema composition.

It’s important to note that earlier versions, such as Draft-05 (published October 13, 2016), primarily focused on cleaning up Draft-04 and continued to use Draft-04 meta-schemas. Draft-07 superseded some ‘draft-handrews-*-00’ versions due to identified errors and unclear sections, replacing them with ‘draft-handrews-*-01’ versions.

For those looking for guidance, JSON Schema provides resources like community forums on GitHub and Slack, and welcomes contributions to its documentation. The official website, [json-schema.org](https://json-schema.org/), serves as a central hub for specifications, tools, and guides related to JSON Schema.