Build a Website With Gatsby Part 3: Transforming Data – JSON

In the previous articles, we learned how to set up a Gatsby project, create pages, and style the website using CSS. Now, it’s time to dive into the exciting world of data transformation with Gatsby. In this article, we will explore how to transform data from JSON files and integrate it into our Gatsby website.

What is Data Transformation?

Data transformation involves converting raw data into a format that is suitable for analysis, visualization, or integration into an application. In the context of web development, data transformation is an essential step in extracting relevant information from various sources and making it accessible on a website.

Working with JSON Data

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format that is widely used for storing and exchanging data. It is easy to read and write for humans and machines, making it an excellent choice for web development.

In this tutorial, we will use Gatsby’s data transformation capabilities to fetch data from a JSON file and incorporate it into our website. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Create a JSON File

Start by creating a new JSON file in your Gatsby project’s src/data directory. You can name it whatever you like, for example, data.json. Fill this file with the data you want to include on your website. For example:

{
  "title": "My Awesome Website",
  "description": "Welcome to my Gatsby website!",
  "items": [
    {
      "name": "Item 1",
      "price": 10
    },
    {
      "name": "Item 2",
      "price": 20
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Fetch the Data

To fetch the data from the JSON file, we need to use Gatsby’s StaticQuery or GraphQL. In this tutorial, we will utilize GraphQL, which is the recommended approach. In your page component, import the necessary Gatsby modules:

import React from 'react'
import { graphql } from 'gatsby'

Then, add the GraphQL query to fetch the data from the JSON file:

export const query = graphql`
  query {
    dataJson {
      title
      description
      items {
        name
        price
      }
    }
  }
`

This query fetches the title, description, and items from the data.json file. You can adjust the query based on your specific data structure.

Step 3: Display the Data

Now that we have fetched the data, we can display it on our website. Inside your page component’s render method, access the data using the data prop provided by Gatsby:

render() {
  const { title, description, items } = this.props.data.dataJson
  // Render the data on your website
}

You can now use the title, description, and items variables to display the data wherever you want on your website.

Conclusion

With Gatsby, data transformation becomes a breeze. You can easily fetch data from JSON files, manipulate it using GraphQL queries, and integrate it into your website. This allows you to create dynamic and personalized web experiences that engage your users and provide them with relevant information. So, go ahead and experiment with transforming data in your Gatsby projects!