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Root Object

Every PaletteJSON file is a single JSON object that follows the schema definition. At the root level, three properties are recognized.

{
  "$schema": "https://palettejson.org/schema/v0.1/palettejson.schema.json",
  "specVersion": "0.1",
  "palettes": [
    /* ... */
  ]
}

Properties​

$schema (optional)​

  • Type: string (URI)
  • Purpose: Points to the schema file used for validation.

Example:

"$schema": "https://palettejson.org/schema/v0.1/palettejson.schema.json"

specVersion (optional)​

  • Type: string
  • Pattern: ^0\.1(\..*)?$
  • Purpose: Declares the version of the PaletteJSON spec used in the file.

Example:

"specVersion": "0.1"
note

If specVersion is omitted, consumers should assume the file follows the latest version.

palettes (required)​

  • Type: array
  • Min items: 1 (each entry must be a valid Palette object).
  • Purpose: Holds one or more palette definitions.

Example with a single palette:

{
  "palettes": [
    {
      "name": "Example",
      "slug": "example",
      "type": "categorical",
      "colors": [{ "hex": "#FFFFFF" }, { "hex": "#000000" }]
    }
  ]
}

Validation rules​

  • The root object must not contain any properties other than the three listed above.
  • At least one palette must be present in the palettes array.
  • Each palette must conform to the Palette object.
Additional properties

Files with extra root-level properties are invalid under v0.1.
Keep only $schema, specVersion, and palettes.

Examples​

A single palette with both $schema and specVersion declared.

{
  "$schema": "https://palettejson.org/schema/v0.1/palettejson.schema.json",
  "specVersion": "0.1",
  "palettes": [
    {
      "name": "Example",
      "slug": "example",
      "type": "categorical",
      "colors": [{ "hex": "#FFFFFF" }, { "hex": "#000000" }]
    }
  ]
}