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How to Fix: “Object of Type int64 is Not JSON Serializable”

Anastasios Antoniadis

Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedInIn software development, especially when dealing with web technologies and data interchange formats, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) plays a crucial role. It’s a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and …

Python

In software development, especially when dealing with web technologies and data interchange formats, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) plays a crucial role. It’s a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. However, developers often face a common issue when trying to serialize data into JSON format: encountering the error “Object of type int64 is not JSON serializable”. This error typically occurs in Python when using libraries like Pandas or NumPy, which use the int64 data type for integer values. This article will guide you through understanding why this error occurs and how to resolve it.

Understanding the Error

The “Object of type int64 is not JSON serializable” error occurs because the json module in Python’s standard library can only serialize native Python data types (like int, float, str, list, and dict). The int64 data type is a specific numeric type used by libraries such as Pandas and NumPy to handle large integers efficiently, and it’s not recognized by the json module as a serializable type.

Methods to Fix the Error

Method 1: Convert int64 to Native Python int

The simplest way to resolve this error is to convert the int64 values to Python’s native int type before serialization. This conversion can be done using the int() function.

import json
import numpy as np

# Example int64 value
value_int64 = np.int64(10)

# Convert int64 to int
value_int = int(value_int64)

# Serialize
json_data = json.dumps(value_int)

Method 2: Custom JSON Encoder

For more complex data structures that include int64 values, you can define a custom JSON encoder by subclassing json.JSONEncoder and overriding the default() method to convert int64 types to int.

import json
import numpy as np

class JSONEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
    def default(self, obj):
        if isinstance(obj, np.int64):
            return int(obj)
        return json.JSONEncoder.default(self, obj)

# Example data with int64 values
data = {'value': np.int64(10)}

# Serialize using the custom encoder
json_data = json.dumps(data, cls=JSONEncoder)

Method 3: Use pandas.to_json()

If you’re working with Pandas DataFrames or Series, you can utilize the to_json() method, which handles various data types, including int64, and converts them into a JSON-friendly format.

import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

# Create a DataFrame with int64 values
df = pd.DataFrame({'value': [np.int64(10)]})

# Serialize DataFrame to JSON
json_data = df.to_json()

Conclusion

The “Object of type int64 is not JSON serializable” error can be a stumbling block when working with data serialization in Python. However, by understanding the root cause of this issue and applying one of the methods described above, you can efficiently resolve this error. Whether you choose to manually convert int64 values to native Python types, implement a custom JSON encoder, or leverage built-in methods from libraries like Pandas, you’ll be able to serialize your data into JSON format seamlessly.

Anastasios Antoniadis
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