# Json array input producing \_jsonparsefailure
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [July 13, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006 "2018-07-13T19:40:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Scott\_Newby](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Scott_Newby)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006/1 "2018-07-13T19:40:41Z")
We're trying to import a json file that starts as an array (starts with [and ends in].
A truncated input file:
```
[
{
"uri": "uri/feature",
"id": "idvalue",
"keyword": "Feature",
"name": "name",
"description": "description",
"line": 2,
"comments": [
{
"value": "#encoding: utf-8",
"line": 1
}
]
}
]
```
My ls config file:
```
input{
file {
path => ["path to json file"]
start_position => "beginning"
codec => "json"
}
}
output{
stdout{ codec=>"rubydebug"}
}
```
Produces this type of error:
```
"path" => "path to json file",
"host" => "host name",
"@version" => "1",
"message" => " ]\r",
"@timestamp" => 2018-07-13T19:39:04.064Z,
"tags" => [
[0] "_jsonparsefailure"
```
I'm pretty sure this is related t the file starting out as an array, just trying to find out the best way to handle this situation.
---
### Author:  [@Badger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badger)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006/2 "2018-07-13T20:07:23Z")
> [@Scott\_Newby](#):
>
> "message" =\> " ]\r"
It's not related to it being an array, it's related to it consuming the file one line at a time. You should use a multiline codec on the input. In order to consume the entire file as one event I would match on a pattern that does not occur in the file.
```
codec => multiline { pattern => "Spalanzani" negate => true what => "previous" auto_flush_interval => 2 }
```
---
### Author:  [@Scott\_Newby](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Scott_Newby)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006/3 "2018-07-23T13:42:36Z")
@Badger - thanks for the reply that should help us out. Appreciate it.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/json-array-input-producing-jsonparsefailure/140006/4 "2018-08-20T13:49:54Z")
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