yilab / json-archetypes

Community-Driven Standards For Popular Types Of Data in JSON

#JSON Archetypes

####Community-Driven Standards For Popular Types Of Data in JSON

The point of the Archetypes is to agree on data models that are easy and fun to develop applications with. That is all.

Status: Waiting to receive feedback from more people before launching JSON Archetypes Version 1

These are part of Servant. Servant is cloud storage for the Archetypes. If you build an application using Archetypes, you can use Servant as your database, and Servant will pay you for each API Request you make to it. More info on that here.

Each JSON Archetype uses the JSON Schema format to describe the Archetype and its validation rules. All of the Archetypes can be found in the archetypes folder. JSON Archetypes are meant to be lean and contain only the essential properties/attributes that define and differentiate each archetype. The challenge is to agree on what those properties/attributes are...

This repo is only for defining schemas If you're looking for helper methods to quickly instantiate valid Data Archetypes and work with them in your applications, check out the Servant SDKs.

Feel free to contribute to the existing JSON Archetypes or create your own!

##Contributing Anyone who has a JSON Archetype in mind, or wants to add to existing JSON Archetypes is free to contribute. Just follow these steps:

• Fork this project.
• Clone your forked project (which should now be in your github account) to your computer.
• Create a branch and work on it to create/modify existing JSON Archetypes
• Try to submit pull requests for one Archetype at a time

More on how to contribute to a Github project here.

##Design Principles

• Shallow Architecture - Don't add nested objects. Only Arrays are allowed, and if they contain objects, keep those objects small. Shallow architecture makes the Archetypes more accessible using simpler queries that can be effectively indexed to scale well.
• Unique Property Names - Every property name in an Archetype must be unique.
• Follow The JSON Schema Specs - http://json-schema.org/example1.html
• Copy Schema.org Schemas wherever you can - http://schema.org

##F.A.Q. ###How is this different from Schema.org? JSON Archetypes are simpler versions of the schemas on schema.org. While application developers can comprehend the verbose, nested data architecture Schema.org uses, it's still complex and not much fun to work with.

That said, we’ve tried to copy schema.org schemas wherever possible, as well as their property names, so there will be interoperability. Hopefully we can evolve to further resemble schema.org in the future.

###Can I add additional properties to the Archetypes? Yes, but do it in your own application. Most of the time, developers want to put properties on the Archetypes that are only relevant to the applications they want to make. Nothing wrong with that. Most people make meta objects for each Archetype and save them in their application’s own database. There are infinite use-cases for the Archetypes, and if we attached properties for each we’d have infinite bloat.

Otherwise, if you think the property is absolutely necessary, contribute to this repo :)

###As a User, how can I store extra data in each Archetype (e.g. obscure product details)? Archetypes aren't going to be perfect for everyone. But don't let the perfect be the enemy of good.

Occasionally, you may not be able to find room to squeeze in obscure details. On the other hand, JSON Archetypes radically increase distribution and productivity of your data. Yes, you may miss a small detail, but more importantly, you will be able to show and use your data EVERYWHERE.

###Bro, I found this comic on XKCD and it’s totally relevant. Can I show it to you? We've already seen it, laughed, and moved forward.