JSON symmetric difference by key

Client

Find rows whose key appears on only one side of two JSON arrays—exclusive-or reconciliation without SQL.

Learn more: JSON symmetric difference

Find rows whose key appears on only one side of two JSON arrays—exclusive-or on a key field—for reconciliation when both exports should match.

Symmetric difference

Unlike anti-join (left-only misses), symmetric difference returns rows unique to either side. Useful when you need both “only in A” and “only in B” in one pass.

Key choice

Pick a stable identifier present on every row. Composite keys may need a derived key column via another JSON tool first.

Privacy

Set comparison runs entirely in the browser.

About JSON symmetric difference by key

Rows only in A or only in B on a key—browser. Parsing and transforms run in your browser—Toolcore does not upload your JSON for this operation.

How to use

Paste a JSON array (or follow the two-array example on join tools). Use Load example when shown, or prefill with ?q= / ?qb= on the tool URL.

Input and limits

Fix JSON syntax errors before expecting output. Very large arrays may slow the tab—trim samples during exploration, then scale up locally.

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Nearby workflows on Toolcore

  • JSON formatter — JSON format online: pretty-print, minify, validate, escape, download . Useful once JSON parses on this page.
  • JSON replace values — Replace every value equal to from with to—use from|to, JSON or plain text. Useful once JSON parses on this page.
  • JSON filter field by regex — Keep rows whose string field matches a regular expression—local. Useful once JSON parses on this page.
  • JSON count field nulls — Count null or missing values for one row field—metadata. Useful once JSON parses on this page.

Common use cases

  • Find rows that appear on only one side of two JSON exports on the same key.
  • Reconcile two environments when both should contain the same ids.
  • Follow anti-join with a tool that also surfaces right-only exclusives.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Duplicate keys within one side

    Multiple rows with the same key may skew set logic—dedupe first if each key should appear once.

  • Null or missing keys

    Rows without the key field may be dropped or grouped unexpectedly—clean nulls first.

  • Confusing with anti-join

    Anti-join returns left-only misses; symmetric difference returns exclusives on both sides.

FAQ

Is set logic performed locally?

Yes—in your browser tab.

Which key field should I use?

Pick a stable unique identifier present on both sides, such as id or sku.

Prefill JSON via URL?

Yes—?q= and ?qb=; set the key name on the page.

More tools

Related utilities you can open in another tab—mostly client-side.