# JSON to CSV Converter — Flatten Nested Data (`junipr/json-to-csv-converter`) Actor Convert JSON arrays, objects, API responses, and nested data into CSV or TSV with flattening, field selection, and file exports. - **URL**: https://apify.com/junipr/json-to-csv-converter.md - **Developed by:** [junipr](https://apify.com/junipr) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 50.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.95 / 1,000 row converteds This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## JSON to CSV Converter — Flatten Nested Data ### What does JSON to CSV Converter do? JSON to CSV Converter transforms JSON data into CSV or TSV format. It accepts input from three sources: direct JSON input, a URL pointing to a JSON endpoint, or an Apify dataset ID. The actor automatically flattens nested objects using dot notation, joins arrays into comma-separated values, handles null values, and produces a properly escaped CSV file with configurable column delimiters. The converted output is saved both as individual rows in the default dataset and as a complete file in the key-value store under the `OUTPUT` key. This means you can download the full CSV file directly or access individual rows through the Apify API. ### Features - **Three data sources** — paste JSON directly, fetch from a URL, or pull from an Apify dataset by ID - **CSV and TSV output** — choose comma-separated or tab-separated format, or set a custom delimiter - **Automatic nested flattening** — nested objects become dot-notation columns (e.g., `address.city`) - **Field selection** — include only specific fields or exclude unwanted fields from the output - **Array handling** — arrays are joined with comma separators into a single cell value - **Null value replacement** — configure what empty/null values display as in the output - **Header control** — optionally exclude the header row for append workflows - **Row limits** — cap output at a maximum number of rows (up to 10,000 per run) - **Proper CSV escaping** — handles quotes, newlines, and delimiters within cell values - **Pay-per-row pricing** — only pay for rows successfully converted ### Input Configuration ```json { "jsonData": "[{\"id\":1,\"name\":\"Alpha\"}]", "jsonUrl": "", "datasetId": "", "outputFormat": "csv", "flattenNested": true, "delimiter": ",", "includeHeaders": true, "fields": [], "excludeFields": [], "maxRows": 1, "nullValue": "" } ```` | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | `jsonData` | string | one-record JSON array | Direct JSON string to convert. Takes priority over other sources. | | `jsonUrl` | string | `""` | URL to fetch JSON data from | | `datasetId` | string | `""` | Apify dataset ID to pull items from | | `outputFormat` | string | `"csv"` | Output format: `csv` or `tsv` | | `flattenNested` | boolean | `true` | Flatten nested objects using dot notation | | `delimiter` | string | `","` | Column separator character. Defaults to comma for CSV, tab for TSV. | | `includeHeaders` | boolean | `true` | Include column headers as the first row | | `fields` | string\[] | `[]` | Only include these fields (empty = all fields) | | `excludeFields` | string\[] | `[]` | Exclude these fields from output | | `maxRows` | integer | `1` | Maximum rows to output (max 10,000) | | `nullValue` | string | `""` | Replacement string for null/undefined/missing values | ### Output Format Each row is saved as a dataset item containing the row number, the flattened data, and the formatted CSV line: ```json { "rowNumber": 1, "data": { "body": "This is the post body text...", "id": "1", "title": "Converted Record", "userId": "1" }, "csvLine": "\"This is the post body text...\",\"1\",\"Converted Record\",\"1\"" } ``` The complete CSV/TSV file for successfully charged dataset rows is also saved under the KVS key `OUTPUT`. Empty sources and billing stops produce an uncharged diagnostic instead of an unbilled output file. ### Usage Examples / Use Cases - **Apify pipeline chaining** — convert output from any Apify scraper to CSV by passing its dataset ID as input - **API data export** — fetch JSON from any REST API endpoint and convert to a spreadsheet-friendly format - **Data transformation** — flatten deeply nested JSON structures into flat tabular data for analysis - **Report generation** — produce CSV exports from JSON data sources for business reporting - **ETL workflows** — use as a transformation step between JSON data sources and database imports - **Spreadsheet import** — prepare JSON data for import into Google Sheets, Excel, or other spreadsheet tools ### Ready-to-run public tasks - **Convert one API record** — fetches one public JSON record and stores headered CSV. - **Flatten a nested record** — demonstrates dot-path columns from one inline object. - **Export selected TSV fields** — selects two fields and writes tab-separated output. Every task caps conversion at one row and demonstrates a distinct source or output behavior. ### Pricing This actor uses Pay-Per-Event (PPE) pricing: **$1.95 per 1,000 rows converted** ($0.00195 per `row-converted` event). Apify platform usage follows the live Store pricing entry. ### FAQ #### Can I convert output from another Apify actor? Yes. Run any Apify actor, copy its dataset ID from the run results, and paste it into the `datasetId` field. The converter will fetch all items from that dataset and produce a CSV file. This is the easiest way to get CSV output from any scraper. #### How does nested object flattening work? When `flattenNested` is enabled (default), nested objects are flattened using dot notation. For example, `{"address": {"city": "Chicago", "zip": "60601"}}` becomes two columns: `address.city` and `address.zip`. Arrays are joined into a single string with comma separators. Set `flattenNested` to false to keep nested objects as JSON strings in cells. #### What happens with inconsistent JSON records? The converter collects all unique field names across all records. If a record is missing a field that other records have, the cell is filled with the `nullValue` setting (empty string by default). Columns are sorted alphabetically for consistent output. #### Where is the output file stored? The complete CSV/TSV file is saved in the run's key-value store under the key `OUTPUT`. You can download it from the Apify Console or through the default key-value-store record endpoint. Individual paid rows are also available in the default dataset. #### Does this actor need a proxy? No. JSON to CSV Converter is a data transformation tool that does not scrape websites. It works on any Apify plan including the free tier without any proxy configuration. ### Related Actors - [Google News Scraper](https://apify.com/junipr/google-news-scraper) — scrape news articles and convert results to CSV - [Etsy Product Scraper](https://apify.com/junipr/etsy-product-scraper) — scrape Etsy products and export as CSV - [Reddit Scraper](https://apify.com/junipr/reddit-scraper) — scrape Reddit posts and comments for analysis - [Hacker News Scraper](https://apify.com/junipr/hacker-news-scraper) — extract Hacker News stories and export to CSV - [Markdown to HTML Converter](https://apify.com/junipr/markdown-to-html) — convert Markdown documents to styled HTML # Actor input Schema ## `jsonData` (type: `string`): Direct JSON input as a string or object. Can be an array of objects or a single object. Leave empty to use jsonUrl or datasetId instead. ## `jsonUrl` (type: `string`): URL to fetch JSON data from. The response must be valid JSON (array of objects or single object). ## `datasetId` (type: `string`): Apify dataset ID to fetch items from and convert. Takes precedence over jsonUrl if both are provided. ## `outputFormat` (type: `string`): Output file format: csv (comma-separated) or tsv (tab-separated). ## `flattenNested` (type: `boolean`): Flatten nested objects using dot notation (e.g., {a: {b: 1}} becomes a.b column). Arrays are joined with comma separator. ## `delimiter` (type: `string`): Character used to separate columns. Defaults to comma for CSV, tab for TSV. Override for custom delimiters like semicolon or pipe. ## `includeHeaders` (type: `boolean`): Include column headers as the first row of the output. ## `fields` (type: `array`): Specific field names to include in the output. Leave empty to include all fields. Supports dot notation for nested fields (e.g., 'address.city'). ## `excludeFields` (type: `array`): Field names to exclude from the output. Applied after field inclusion. Supports dot notation for nested fields. ## `maxRows` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of rows to include in the output. Capped at 10,000 to keep runs predictable and avoid runaway billing. ## `nullValue` (type: `string`): String to use for null, undefined, or missing values in the output. ## Actor input object example ```json { "jsonData": "[{\"id\":1,\"name\":\"Alpha\"}]", "jsonUrl": "", "datasetId": "", "outputFormat": "csv", "flattenNested": true, "delimiter": ",", "includeHeaders": true, "fields": [], "excludeFields": [], "maxRows": 1, "nullValue": "" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `csvFile` (type: `string`): The converted file stored in the default key-value store as OUTPUT.csv or OUTPUT.tsv. ## `rows` (type: `string`): Each converted row as a dataset item for API access. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("junipr/json-to-csv-converter").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("junipr/json-to-csv-converter").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call junipr/json-to-csv-converter --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=junipr/json-to-csv-converter", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "JSON to CSV Converter — Flatten Nested Data", "description": "Convert JSON arrays, objects, API responses, and nested data into CSV or TSV with flattening, field selection, and file exports.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "x1GMt1R33x24mwmwu" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/junipr~json-to-csv-converter/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-junipr-json-to-csv-converter", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/junipr~json-to-csv-converter/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-junipr-json-to-csv-converter", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/junipr~json-to-csv-converter/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-junipr-json-to-csv-converter", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "jsonData": { "title": "JSON Data", "type": "string", "description": "Direct JSON input as a string or object. Can be an array of objects or a single object. Leave empty to use jsonUrl or datasetId instead.", "default": "[{\"id\":1,\"name\":\"Alpha\"}]" }, "jsonUrl": { "title": "JSON URL", "type": "string", "description": "URL to fetch JSON data from. The response must be valid JSON (array of objects or single object).", "default": "" }, "datasetId": { "title": "Apify Dataset ID", "type": "string", "description": "Apify dataset ID to fetch items from and convert. Takes precedence over jsonUrl if both are provided.", "default": "" }, "outputFormat": { "title": "Output Format", "enum": [ "csv", "tsv" ], "type": "string", "description": "Output file format: csv (comma-separated) or tsv (tab-separated).", "default": "csv" }, "flattenNested": { "title": "Flatten Nested Objects", "type": "boolean", "description": "Flatten nested objects using dot notation (e.g., {a: {b: 1}} becomes a.b column). Arrays are joined with comma separator.", "default": true }, "delimiter": { "title": "Column Delimiter", "type": "string", "description": "Character used to separate columns. Defaults to comma for CSV, tab for TSV. Override for custom delimiters like semicolon or pipe.", "default": "," }, "includeHeaders": { "title": "Include Headers", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include column headers as the first row of the output.", "default": true }, "fields": { "title": "Include Fields", "type": "array", "description": "Specific field names to include in the output. Leave empty to include all fields. Supports dot notation for nested fields (e.g., 'address.city').", "items": { "type": "string" }, "default": [] }, "excludeFields": { "title": "Exclude Fields", "type": "array", "description": "Field names to exclude from the output. Applied after field inclusion. Supports dot notation for nested fields.", "items": { "type": "string" }, "default": [] }, "maxRows": { "title": "Maximum Rows", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of rows to include in the output. Capped at 10,000 to keep runs predictable and avoid runaway billing.", "default": 1 }, "nullValue": { "title": "Null Value Replacement", "type": "string", "description": "String to use for null, undefined, or missing values in the output.", "default": "" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```