How to globally set default options for System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer?

Question

Instead of this:

JsonSerializerOptions options = new JsonSerializerOptions
{
    PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase
    // etc.
};
var so = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SomeObject>(someJsonString, options);

I would like to do something like this:

// This property is a pleasant fiction
JsonSerializer.DefaultSettings = new JsonSerializerOptions
{
    PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase
    // etc.
};

// This uses my options
var soA = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SomeObject>(someJsonString); 

// And somewhere else in the same codebase...
// This also uses my options
var soB = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SomeOtherObject>(someOtherJsonString); 

The hope is to not have to pass an instance of JsonSerializerOptions for our most common cases, and override for the exception, not the rule.

As indicated in this q & a, this is a useful feature of Json.Net. I looked in the documentation for System.Text.Json as well as this GitHub repo for .NET Core. And this one.

There doesn't seem to be an analog for managing JSON serialization defaults in .NET Core 3. Or am I overlooking it?

---

• UPDATE [2020-07-18]: See this answer for a nuget package with convenience methods that honor default settings.

• UPDATE [2019-12-23]: Due in part to vocal community input this issue has been added to the roadmap for .NET 5.0.

• UPDATE [2019-10-10]: If interested in seeing this behavior implemented for System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer head on over to the open GitHub issue pointed out by Chris Yungmann and weigh in.

Answer 1

You can create an extension method. Here's an example

I use separate methods vs having to build special settings, so that all the settings will be in a single spot and easily reusable.

public static class DeserializeExtensions
{
    private static JsonSerializerOptions defaultSerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerOptions();

    // set this up how you need to!
    private static JsonSerializerOptions featureXSerializerSettings = new JsonSerializerOptions();


    public static T Deserialize<T>(this string json)
    {       
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<T>(json, defaultSerializerSettings);
    }

    public static T DeserializeCustom<T>(this string json, JsonSerializerOptions settings)
    {
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<T>(json, settings);
    }

    public static T DeserializeFeatureX<T>(this string json)
    {
        return JsonSerializer.Deserialize<T>(json, featureXSerializerSettings);
    }
}

Then you call it as a method on a string, whether literal or a variable.

    Car result = @"{""Wheels"": 4, ""Doors"": 2}".DeserializeFeatureX<Car>();

Answer 2

No, JsonSerializerOptions does not expose the default options. If you are using a particular web framework there may be a way to specify (de-)serialization settings through that. Otherwise, I suggest creating your own convenience methods.

See also this open issue.

Answer 3

This seemed to work for me, in StartUp.ConfigureServices:

services.AddControllers().AddJsonOptions(options =>
    {
        options.JsonSerializerOptions.Converters.Add(new JsonStringEnumConverter());
        options.JsonSerializerOptions.PropertyNamingPolicy=JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase;
    });