---
name: codable-patterns
description: "Encode and decode Swift types to and from JSON, property lists, and other external representations using Codable, JSONEncoder, and JSONDecoder. Use when implementing API response parsing, custom CodingKeys for key remapping, custom init(from:) or encode(to:) for complex transformations, nested or flattened JSON structures, heterogeneous array decoding, date and data decoding strategies, lossy array wrappers, Codable integration with URLSession, SwiftData, or UserDefaults, or when configuring encoder/decoder output formatting and key strategies."
---

# Codable Patterns

Encode and decode Swift types using `Codable` (`Encodable & Decodable`) with
`JSONEncoder`, `JSONDecoder`, and related APIs. Targets Swift 6.2 / iOS 26+.

## Contents

- [Basic Conformance](#basic-conformance)
- [Custom CodingKeys](#custom-codingkeys)
- [Custom Decoding and Encoding](#custom-decoding-and-encoding)
- [Nested and Flattened Containers](#nested-and-flattened-containers)
- [Heterogeneous Arrays](#heterogeneous-arrays)
- [Date Decoding Strategies](#date-decoding-strategies)
- [Data and Key Strategies](#data-and-key-strategies)
- [Lossy Array Decoding](#lossy-array-decoding)
- [Single Value Containers](#single-value-containers)
- [Default Values for Missing Keys](#default-values-for-missing-keys)
- [Encoder and Decoder Configuration](#encoder-and-decoder-configuration)
- [Codable with URLSession](#codable-with-urlsession)
- [Codable with SwiftData](#codable-with-swiftdata)
- [Codable with UserDefaults](#codable-with-userdefaults)
- [Common Mistakes](#common-mistakes)
- [Review Checklist](#review-checklist)
- [References](#references)

## Basic Conformance

When all stored properties are themselves `Codable`, the compiler synthesizes
conformance automatically:

```swift
struct User: Codable {
    let id: Int
    let name: String
    let email: String
    let isVerified: Bool
}

let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: jsonData)
let encoded = try JSONEncoder().encode(user)
```

Prefer `Decodable` for read-only API responses and `Encodable` for write-only.
Use `Codable` only when both directions are required.

## Custom CodingKeys

Rename JSON keys without writing a custom decoder by declaring a `CodingKeys`
enum:

```swift
struct Product: Codable {
    let id: Int
    let displayName: String
    let imageURL: URL
    let priceInCents: Int

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case id
        case displayName = "display_name"
        case imageURL = "image_url"
        case priceInCents = "price_in_cents"
    }
}
```

Every stored property must appear in the enum. Omitting a property from
`CodingKeys` excludes it from encoding/decoding -- provide a default value or
compute it separately.

## Custom Decoding and Encoding

Override `init(from:)` and `encode(to:)` for transformations the synthesized
conformance cannot handle:

```swift
struct Event: Codable {
    let name: String
    let timestamp: Date
    let tags: [String]

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case name, timestamp, tags
    }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        name = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: .name)
        // Decode Unix timestamp as Double, convert to Date
        let epoch = try container.decode(Double.self, forKey: .timestamp)
        timestamp = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: epoch)
        // Default to empty array when key is missing
        tags = try container.decodeIfPresent([String].self, forKey: .tags) ?? []
    }

    func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
        var container = encoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        try container.encode(name, forKey: .name)
        try container.encode(timestamp.timeIntervalSince1970, forKey: .timestamp)
        try container.encode(tags, forKey: .tags)
    }
}
```

## Nested and Flattened Containers

Use `nestedContainer(keyedBy:forKey:)` to navigate and flatten nested JSON:

```swift
// JSON: { "id": 1, "location": { "lat": 37.7749, "lng": -122.4194 } }
struct Place: Decodable {
    let id: Int
    let latitude: Double
    let longitude: Double

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey { case id, location }
    enum LocationKeys: String, CodingKey { case lat, lng }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        id = try container.decode(Int.self, forKey: .id)
        let location = try container.nestedContainer(
            keyedBy: LocationKeys.self, forKey: .location)
        latitude = try location.decode(Double.self, forKey: .lat)
        longitude = try location.decode(Double.self, forKey: .lng)
    }
}
```

Chain multiple `nestedContainer` calls to flatten deeply nested structures.
Also use `nestedUnkeyedContainer(forKey:)` for nested arrays.

## Heterogeneous Arrays

Decode arrays of mixed types using a discriminator field:

```swift
// JSON: [{"type":"text","content":"Hello"},{"type":"image","url":"pic.jpg"}]
enum ContentBlock: Decodable {
    case text(String)
    case image(URL)

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey { case type, content, url }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        let type = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: .type)
        switch type {
        case "text":
            let content = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: .content)
            self = .text(content)
        case "image":
            let url = try container.decode(URL.self, forKey: .url)
            self = .image(url)
        default:
            throw DecodingError.dataCorruptedError(
                forKey: .type, in: container,
                debugDescription: "Unknown type: \(type)")
        }
    }
}

let blocks = try JSONDecoder().decode([ContentBlock].self, from: jsonData)
```

## Date Decoding Strategies

Configure `JSONDecoder.dateDecodingStrategy` to match your API:

```swift
let decoder = JSONDecoder()

// ISO 8601 (e.g., "2024-03-15T10:30:00Z")
decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .iso8601

// Unix timestamp in seconds (e.g., 1710499800)
decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .secondsSince1970

// Custom DateFormatter
let formatter = DateFormatter()
formatter.dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd"
formatter.locale = Locale(identifier: "en_US_POSIX")
formatter.timeZone = TimeZone(secondsFromGMT: 0)
decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .formatted(formatter)

// Custom closure for multiple formats
decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .custom { decoder in
    let container = try decoder.singleValueContainer()
    let string = try container.decode(String.self)
    if let date = ISO8601DateFormatter().date(from: string) { return date }
    throw DecodingError.dataCorruptedError(
        in: container, debugDescription: "Cannot decode date: \(string)")
}
```

Set the matching strategy on `JSONEncoder`:
`encoder.dateEncodingStrategy = .iso8601`

## Data and Key Strategies

```swift
let decoder = JSONDecoder()
decoder.dataDecodingStrategy = .base64           // Base64-encoded Data fields
decoder.keyDecodingStrategy = .convertFromSnakeCase  // snake_case -> camelCase
// {"user_name": "Alice"} maps to `var userName: String` -- no CodingKeys needed

let encoder = JSONEncoder()
encoder.dataEncodingStrategy = .base64
encoder.keyEncodingStrategy = .convertToSnakeCase
```

## Lossy Array Decoding

By default, one invalid element fails the entire array. Use a wrapper to skip
invalid elements:

```swift
struct LossyArray<Element: Decodable>: Decodable {
    let elements: [Element]

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        var container = try decoder.unkeyedContainer()
        var elements: [Element] = []
        while !container.isAtEnd {
            if let element = try? container.decode(Element.self) {
                elements.append(element)
            } else {
                _ = try? container.decode(AnyCodableValue.self) // advance past bad element
            }
        }
        self.elements = elements
    }
}
private struct AnyCodableValue: Decodable {}
```

## Single Value Containers

Wrap primitives for type safety using `singleValueContainer()`:

```swift
struct UserID: Codable, Hashable {
    let rawValue: String

    init(_ rawValue: String) { self.rawValue = rawValue }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.singleValueContainer()
        rawValue = try container.decode(String.self)
    }

    func encode(to encoder: Encoder) throws {
        var container = encoder.singleValueContainer()
        try container.encode(rawValue)
    }
}
// JSON: "usr_abc123" decodes directly to UserID
```

## Default Values for Missing Keys

Use `decodeIfPresent` with nil-coalescing to provide defaults:

```swift
struct Settings: Decodable {
    let theme: String
    let fontSize: Int
    let notificationsEnabled: Bool

    enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case theme, fontSize = "font_size"
        case notificationsEnabled = "notifications_enabled"
    }

    init(from decoder: Decoder) throws {
        let container = try decoder.container(keyedBy: CodingKeys.self)
        theme = try container.decodeIfPresent(String.self, forKey: .theme) ?? "system"
        fontSize = try container.decodeIfPresent(Int.self, forKey: .fontSize) ?? 16
        notificationsEnabled = try container.decodeIfPresent(
            Bool.self, forKey: .notificationsEnabled) ?? true
    }
}
```

## Encoder and Decoder Configuration

```swift
let encoder = JSONEncoder()
encoder.outputFormatting = [.prettyPrinted, .sortedKeys, .withoutEscapingSlashes]

// Non-conforming floats (NaN, Infinity are not valid JSON)
encoder.nonConformingFloatEncodingStrategy = .convertToString(
    positiveInfinity: "Infinity", negativeInfinity: "-Infinity", nan: "NaN")
decoder.nonConformingFloatDecodingStrategy = .convertFromString(
    positiveInfinity: "Infinity", negativeInfinity: "-Infinity", nan: "NaN")
```

### PropertyListEncoder / PropertyListDecoder

```swift
let plistEncoder = PropertyListEncoder()
plistEncoder.outputFormat = .xml  // or .binary
let data = try plistEncoder.encode(settings)
let decoded = try PropertyListDecoder().decode(Settings.self, from: data)
```

## Codable with URLSession

```swift
func fetchUser(id: Int) async throws -> User {
    let url = URL(string: "https://api.example.com/users/\(id)")!
    let (data, response) = try await URLSession.shared.data(from: url)
    guard let http = response as? HTTPURLResponse,
          (200...299).contains(http.statusCode) else {
        throw APIError.invalidResponse
    }
    let decoder = JSONDecoder()
    decoder.keyDecodingStrategy = .convertFromSnakeCase
    decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .iso8601
    return try decoder.decode(User.self, from: data)
}

// Generic API envelope for wrapped responses
struct APIResponse<T: Decodable>: Decodable {
    let data: T
    let meta: Meta?
    struct Meta: Decodable { let page: Int; let totalPages: Int }
}
let users = try decoder.decode(APIResponse<[User]>.self, from: data).data
```

## Codable with SwiftData

`Codable` structs work as composite attributes in SwiftData models. In iOS 18+,
SwiftData natively supports them without explicit `@Attribute(.transformable)`:

```swift
struct Address: Codable {
    var street: String
    var city: String
    var zipCode: String
}

@Model class Contact {
    var name: String
    var address: Address?  // Codable struct stored as composite attribute
    init(name: String, address: Address? = nil) {
        self.name = name; self.address = address
    }
}
```

## Codable with UserDefaults

Store `Codable` values via `RawRepresentable` for `@AppStorage`:

```swift
struct UserPreferences: Codable {
    var showOnboarding: Bool = true
    var accentColor: String = "blue"
}

extension UserPreferences: RawRepresentable {
    init?(rawValue: String) {
        guard let data = rawValue.data(using: .utf8),
              let decoded = try? JSONDecoder().decode(Self.self, from: data)
        else { return nil }
        self = decoded
    }
    var rawValue: String {
        guard let data = try? JSONEncoder().encode(self),
              let string = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8)
        else { return "{}" }
        return string
    }
}

struct SettingsView: View {
    @AppStorage("userPrefs") private var prefs = UserPreferences()
    var body: some View {
        Toggle("Show Onboarding", isOn: $prefs.showOnboarding)
    }
}
```

## Common Mistakes

**1. Not handling missing optional keys:**
```swift
// DON'T -- crashes if key is absent
let value = try container.decode(String.self, forKey: .bio)
// DO -- returns nil for missing keys
let value = try container.decodeIfPresent(String.self, forKey: .bio) ?? ""
```

**2. Failing entire array when one element is invalid:**
```swift
// DON'T -- one bad element kills the whole decode
let items = try container.decode([Item].self, forKey: .items)
// DO -- use LossyArray or decode elements individually
let items = try container.decode(LossyArray<Item>.self, forKey: .items).elements
```

**3. Date strategy mismatch:**
```swift
// DON'T -- default strategy expects Double, but API sends ISO string
let decoder = JSONDecoder()  // dateDecodingStrategy defaults to .deferredToDate
// DO -- set strategy to match your API format
decoder.dateDecodingStrategy = .iso8601
```

**4. Force-unwrapping decoded optionals:**
```swift
// DON'T
let user = try? decoder.decode(User.self, from: data)
print(user!.name)
// DO
guard let user = try? decoder.decode(User.self, from: data) else { return }
```

**5. Using Codable when only Decodable is needed:**
```swift
// DON'T -- unnecessarily constrains the type to also be Encodable
struct APIResponse: Codable { let id: Int; let message: String }
// DO -- use Decodable for read-only API responses
struct APIResponse: Decodable { let id: Int; let message: String }
```

**6. Manual CodingKeys for simple snake_case APIs:**
```swift
// DON'T -- verbose boilerplate for every model
enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
    case userName = "user_name"
    case avatarUrl = "avatar_url"
}
// DO -- configure once on the decoder
decoder.keyDecodingStrategy = .convertFromSnakeCase
```

## Review Checklist

- [ ] Types conform to `Decodable` only when encoding is not needed
- [ ] `decodeIfPresent` used with defaults for optional or missing keys
- [ ] `keyDecodingStrategy = .convertFromSnakeCase` used instead of manual CodingKeys for simple snake_case APIs
- [ ] `dateDecodingStrategy` matches the API date format
- [ ] Arrays of unreliable data use lossy decoding to skip invalid elements
- [ ] Custom `init(from:)` validates and transforms data instead of post-decode fixups
- [ ] `JSONEncoder.outputFormatting` includes `.sortedKeys` for deterministic test output
- [ ] Wrapper types (UserID, etc.) use `singleValueContainer` for clean JSON
- [ ] Generic `APIResponse<T>` wrapper used for consistent API envelope handling
- [ ] No force-unwrapping of decoded values
- [ ] `@AppStorage` Codable types conform to `RawRepresentable`
- [ ] SwiftData composite attributes use `Codable` structs

## References

- [Codable](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/swift/codable/) -- protocol combining Encodable and Decodable
- [JSONDecoder](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/foundation/jsondecoder/) -- decodes JSON data into Codable types
- [JSONEncoder](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/foundation/jsonencoder/) -- encodes Codable types as JSON data
- [CodingKey](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/swift/codingkey/) -- protocol for encoding/decoding keys
- [Encoding and Decoding Custom Types](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/foundation/encoding-and-decoding-custom-types/) -- Apple guide on custom Codable conformance
- [Using JSON with Custom Types](https://sosumi.ai/documentation/foundation/archives_and_serialization/using_json_with_custom_types/) -- Apple sample code for JSON patterns
