Why is JSON stringify adding backslashes to a string?

JSON.stringify() adds backslashes to escape special characters that have meaning in JSON syntax. Double quotes are escaped as \" to prevent prematurely ending the string. Backslashes themselves are escaped as \\ to appear as single backslashes. Newlines become \n, tabs become \t, and other control characters are escaped similarly. This escaping is necessary to create valid JSON strings that can be parsed correctly. For example, {"message": "He said \"Hello\""} is valid JSON. When you parse this JSON later, the backslashes are removed and you get the original characters. If you see excessive backslashes like \\\", it typically means JSON is being stringified multiple times (double serialization). Use our JSON Formatter at jsonconsole.com/json-formatter to properly visualize escaped JSON and identify any double-escaping issues. Understanding escape sequences is essential for correctly handling special characters in JSON.