Frequently Asked Questions

What is JSON Animation Viewer?

JSON Animation Viewer is a browser-based tool for previewing and inspecting Lottie JSON files. You can select or drop a .json file, control playback and backgrounds, review metadata and layers, inspect static performance and compatibility signals, and generate starter code snippets. No account is required, and the selected JSON is parsed client-side.

What is a Lottie animation?

Lottie is an open-source animation format originally developed by Airbnb. Animations can be created in tools such as Adobe After Effects and exported as JSON with Bodymovin. The JSON describes layers, shapes, assets, timing, and keyframes; player libraries interpret that data at runtime. Vector-only exports can scale cleanly and remain compact, while embedded images, effects, and dense keyframes can change file size and performance.

Is my animation data safe?

The selected JSON is parsed in your browser and is not intentionally uploaded to an application server or stored in a product database. That boundary is not the same as a promise that no network request can occur: the site is delivered by a hosting provider, advertising code may run when enabled, and JSON files can reference external images or fonts. For sensitive files, inspect the file and your browser's network panel first.

What file formats are supported?

JSON Animation Viewer supports standard Lottie JSON files with the .json extension. These are typically exported from Adobe After Effects using the Bodymovin plugin, but any tool that outputs valid Lottie JSON data will work. This includes animations from LottieFiles, Haiku Animator, and various Figma-to-Lottie plugins. The viewer does not currently support dotLottie (.lottie) files, which are a compressed container format. If you have a .lottie file, you'll need to extract the JSON from it first using a tool like the LottieFiles converter.

Why isn't my animation loading?

There are a few common reasons an animation might fail to load:

• Invalid JSON: The file might contain syntax errors. Open it in a text editor and check for missing commas, brackets, or malformed data. Running the file through a JSON validator can help identify issues.
• Not a Lottie file: Not every .json file is a Lottie animation. The file needs to contain Lottie-specific data structures (layers, assets, animation properties). A regular JSON configuration file won't render as an animation.
• External assets: Some Lottie animations reference external image assets that aren't embedded in the JSON file. If the animation was exported without embedding images, those assets won't be available in the viewer and parts of the animation may appear blank.
• Unsupported features: Certain After Effects features don't translate well to Lottie. Complex expressions, 3D layers, and some blend modes may not render correctly in any Lottie player, including this viewer.

Can I use this on my phone or tablet?

The interface is responsive for current mobile and tablet browsers, and the file button can open supported device storage. Drag and drop depends on the device and browser. Large files, embedded images, dense keyframes, and unsupported renderer features can affect memory use and playback.

How do I create a Lottie animation?

The most common workflow starts in Adobe After Effects. Design your animation using shapes, paths, and keyframes, then install the Bodymovin plugin to export it as a Lottie JSON file. There are also alternative tools: LottieFiles has a browser-based editor, Haiku Animator provides a standalone application, and several Figma plugins can convert designs to Lottie format. For a detailed walkthrough, check out our blog post on how to create Lottie animations step by step.

What are the advantages of Lottie over GIF?

Lottie can offer compact, resolution-independent vector animation and programmable playback, while GIF offers broad native support with no player library. The better choice depends on the actual assets, effects, browser or app support, accessibility needs, and export. Lottie files with embedded raster images or dense keyframes are not automatically smaller or faster. Read our detailed Lottie vs GIF comparison for a decision framework.

Is JSON Animation Viewer free?

The hosted viewer currently has no account or paid feature gate. Its public repository can be inspected, but no project license file is currently published. This describes the service today and is not a promise that hosting or features can never change. Visit the GitHub repository for the current source and terms.

Can I embed the viewer in my own website?

The viewer is not designed as an embeddable widget, and its repository currently has no project license granting reuse rights. If you want to display Lottie animations on your own website, consider using the lottie-web library directly under its published terms. For React projects, libraries such as lottie-react or @lottiefiles/react-lottie-player provide component wrappers; review each library's current license and compatibility before adopting it.

Where can I find free Lottie animations?

Platforms such as LottieFiles, IconScout, Lordicon, and useAnimations publish Lottie assets under varying terms. Availability and licenses can change, so check the license on the specific asset and keep a copy of the applicable terms before commercial use. See our Lottie resource evaluation guide for selection criteria.

Still have questions?

If your question isn't answered here, feel free to open an issue on our GitHub Issues page. We read every issue and respond as quickly as we can. You can also browse existing issues to see if someone else has already asked the same question.