Report a missing 0xFF after a final BON8 string also without strict (#6119)

A BON8 string ends at the first byte that cannot continue it. When a
string ends a value and is not terminated by 0xFF, that byte belongs to
whatever follows the value, but the reader has already taken it from the
input and keeps it in its push-back buffer. With strict = true the
end-of-input check reports it; with strict = false the buffer was
discarded, so a following value in a stream lost its first byte or bytes
without an error ({0x61, 0x90} read "a" and then dropped the 0 that
follows).

Report parse_error.110 "string at the end of the value is not terminated
by 0xFF" when the push-back buffer is not empty once a BON8 value is
complete and strict is false, as bon8.md requires the final 0xFF. Output
of to_bon8 always has it, so canonical input is not affected.

Fixes #6110.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Check that Meson and pkg-config offer the CMake options
         run: make check_build_options
       - name: Install Meson
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: CXX=g++-${{ matrix.compiler }} cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Disable filesystem support (std::filesystem is unusable) for clang 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
         run: echo "JSON_FORCED_GLOBAL_COMPILE_OPTIONS=-DJSON_HAS_FILESYSTEM=0;-DJSON_HAS_EXPERIMENTAL_FILESYSTEM=0" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
         if: ${{ matrix.compiler == '7' || matrix.compiler == '8' || matrix.compiler == '9' || matrix.compiler == '10' }}
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build with libc++
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -362,11 +362,13 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
-      # The module test uses `import std;`, which needs CMake 4.5 or newer.
-      - name: Get CMake 4.5+ and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+      # The module test uses `import std;`, which needs CMake's experimental
+      # import-std support. Its opt-in token is CMake-version-specific, so pin
+      # CMake to the version whose token is set in tests/module_cpp20/CMakeLists.txt.
+      - name: Get pinned CMake and ninja
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
         with:
-          cmakeVersion: '^4.5.0'
+          cmakeVersion: 4.3.4
       # Clang: the std library module is provided by libc++ (the image's libstdc++
       # ships none), and the image's libc++ module manifest has a broken relative
       # path — repoint it at the real module sources.
@@ -390,7 +392,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -407,7 +409,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -421,7 +423,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DJSON_CI=On
       - name: Build
@@ -441,7 +443,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Run CMake
         run: cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=$EMSDK/upstream/emscripten/cmake/Modules/Platform/Emscripten.cmake -GNinja
       - name: Build
@@ -482,7 +484,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Check that the job runs natively on arm64
         run: uname -m && test "$(uname -m)" = aarch64
       - name: Run CMake

.github/workflows/windows.yml

@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Get latest CMake and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
       - name: Set extra CXX_FLAGS for latest std_version
         # /wd5285 silences C5285 emitted by the bundled third-party doctest.h, which
         # specializes std::tuple (newly diagnosed by the VS2026 v145 toolset)
@@ -212,11 +212,13 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
-      # The module test uses `import std;`, which needs CMake 4.5 or newer.
-      - name: Get CMake 4.5+ and ninja
-        uses: lukka/get-cmake@16e8153a8b4918849d92aad131befe67a3705daa # v4.5.0
+      # The module test uses `import std;`, which needs CMake's experimental
+      # import-std support. Its opt-in token is CMake-version-specific, so pin
+      # CMake to the version whose token is set in tests/module_cpp20/CMakeLists.txt.
+      - name: Get pinned CMake and ninja
+        uses: lukka/get-cmake@f86dd60acae0d132056913e248bdabf0e0580b7a # v4.4.5
         with:
-          cmakeVersion: '^4.5.0'
+          cmakeVersion: 4.3.4
       # CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS replaces CMake's MSVC defaults (which include /EHsc), and
       # ci_module_cpp20 forwards it to the module build, so list /EHsc explicitly
       - name: Run CMake (Debug)

README.md

@@ -165,8 +165,7 @@ std::ifstream f("example.json");
 json data = json::parse(f);
 ```
 
-If using modules (enabled with `NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES`; `import std;` needs CMake 4.5 or newer, see the
-[modules documentation](https://json.nlohmann.me/features/modules/)), this example becomes:
+If using modules (enabled with `NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES`), this example becomes:
 ```cpp
 import std;
 import nlohmann.json;

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/dump.md

@@ -58,7 +58,9 @@ is not UTF-8 encoded and `error_handler` is set to `strict`
 
 ## Complexity
 
-Linear.
+Linear in the size of the result. With an `indent`, every line starts with up to `indent` characters per nesting level,
+so the result can be larger than the value by a factor of its nesting depth (see
+[Parsing untrusted input](../../features/parsing/untrusted_input.md#nesting-depth)).
 
 ## Notes
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/flatten.md

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ Strong exception safety: if an exception occurs, the original value stays intact
 
 ## Complexity
 
-Linear in the size of the JSON value.
+Linear in the size of the result. Every key repeats the path of its value, so the keys can be larger than the value by a
+factor of its nesting depth (see [Parsing untrusted input](../../features/parsing/untrusted_input.md#nesting-depth)).
 
 ## Notes
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/basic_json/from_bon8.md

@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@ Strong guarantee: if an exception is thrown, there are no changes in the JSON va
 
 ## Exceptions
 
-- Throws [parse_error.110](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error110) if the given input ends prematurely or
-  the end of the file was not reached when `strict` was set to true
+- Throws [parse_error.110](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error110) if the given input ends prematurely,
+  if the end of the file was not reached when `strict` was set to true, or if a string at the end of the value is not
+  terminated by 0xFF although a byte follows it (also when `strict` is false: the byte that ends the string is
+  taken from the input, so the next value would be lost)
 - Throws [parse_error.112](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error112) if a parse error occurs, for instance
   an invalid byte, a string that is not valid UTF-8, or an object key that is not a string
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_recursion_depth_limit.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ comparison of two [`json_view`](../basic_json_view/index.md) documents has a fix
 and does not depend on it either.
 
 The call stack that these operations need grows with the limit: roughly *a few kilobytes plus a cost per level times the
-limit*, where the cost per level is up to about 2.3 KiB in an unoptimized and up to about 0.5 KiB in an optimized build
+limit*, where the cost per level is up to about 1.8 KiB in an unoptimized and up to about 0.5 KiB in an optimized build
 (see [Stack needed](#stack-needed)). The default of `128` levels is tuned for threads with ordinary stacks of a few
 hundred kilobytes or more. Set a lower limit if your threads have small stacks (RTOS tasks, fibers, threads of the musl
 C
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ When the macro is not defined, the library defines it to its default value.
       the levels that are descended into are counted, so the count never exceeds the limit, not even when user code (a
       copy constructor of a custom base class, say) copies a value while a copy is going on. A byte holds `255` at
       most, and the limit stays below that, so that the count cannot wrap around. (More levels would hardly be
-      useful: `254` levels need up to 576 KiB of stack in an unoptimized build already, twice as much as the
+      useful: `254` levels need up to 448 KiB of stack in an unoptimized build already, twice as much as the
       default.)
 
 ### Stack needed
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Unoptimized (`-O0`):
 
 | Operation | limit 16 | limit 32 | limit 64 | limit 128 | limit 254 |
 |---|---:|---:|---:|---:|---:|
-| `dump()` and `dump(indent)`, `operator<<` | 48 / 32 | 80 / 64 | 144 / 128 | 288 / 256 | 576 / 512 |
+| `dump()` and `dump(indent)`, `operator<<` | 16 / 16 | 16 / 16 | 32 / 32 | 48 / 48 | 96 / 96 |
 | copy construction and assignment | 32 / 16 | 48 / 32 | 112 / 80 | 224 / 144 | 432 / 304 |
 | `==` | 16 / 16 | 16 / 16 | 16 / 16 | 48 / 32 | 96 / 48 |
 | `<=>` (C++20) | 16 / 16 | 16 / 16 | 32 / 32 | 64 / 64 | 144 / 128 |
@@ -123,23 +123,24 @@ The rule of thumb is
 
 > stack needed ≈ a few KiB + cost per level × limit
 
-with a cost per level of up to 2.3 KiB (`dump` at `-O0` with Clang; 2.1 KiB with GCC), 1.7 KiB for copying and merging
-(1.3 KiB with GCC), and 0.1 to 0.5 KiB for most other operations at `-O0`; and 0.5 KiB or less at `-O2`. The numbers
-come from the difference between the limits `128` and `254` in the tables, so they are rough: other compilers,
-other targets (the frames of x86-64 code are about as large), other standard libraries, `JSON_DIAGNOSTICS`, and
-sanitizers change them. Measure with your own tool chain (see the example below) rather than relying on the tables.
-The stack that your own code and the operating system need comes on top of these numbers.
+with a cost per level of up to 1.8 KiB (conversion to another `basic_json` type at `-O0` with Clang; 1.3 KiB with
+GCC), 1.7 KiB for copying and merging (1.3 KiB with GCC), 0.4 KiB for `dump`, and 0.1 to 0.5 KiB for most other
+operations at `-O0`; and 0.5 KiB or less at `-O2`. The numbers come from the difference between the limits `128` and
+`254` in the tables, so they are rough: other compilers, other targets (the frames of x86-64 code are about as large),
+other standard libraries, `JSON_DIAGNOSTICS`, and sanitizers change them. Measure with your own tool chain (see the
+example below) rather than relying on the tables. The stack that your own code and the operating system need comes on
+top of these numbers.
 
 Which limit to choose, for the stack that you can spare for the library (the largest limit of those measured
 for which the slowest operation needs at most that much):
 
 | Stack for the library | optimized (`-O2`) | unoptimized (`-O0`) |
 |---|---:|---:|
-| 32 KiB | 64 | 0 |
-| 64 KiB | 128 | 16 |
-| 128 KiB (the default stack of threads on musl) | 254 | 32 |
-| 256 KiB | 254 | 64 |
-| 512 KiB | 254 | 128 |
+| 32 KiB | 64 | 16 |
+| 64 KiB | 128 | 32 |
+| 128 KiB (the default stack of threads on musl) | 254 | 64 |
+| 256 KiB | 254 | 128 |
+| 512 KiB | 254 | 254 |
 | 1 MiB or more | 254 | 254 |
 
 ### Speed

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/ordered_map.md

@@ -89,19 +89,21 @@ This differs from `#!cpp std::map`, where the same operations are O(log n).
 !!! warning "Quadratic cost of building large objects"
 
     Because every insertion scans all elements inserted so far, building an object of `n` distinct keys costs
-    **O(n²)** in total. This applies to filling an [`ordered_json`](ordered_json.md) object key by key as well as to
-    parsing one, since the parser inserts each key as it is read.
+    **O(n²)** in total. This applies to filling an [`ordered_json`](ordered_json.md) object key by key (with
+    `operator[]`, `emplace`, or `insert`) and, for now, to reading one with a binary reader such as
+    [`from_cbor`](basic_json/from_cbor.md) ([#6104](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/6104)). Parsing JSON text
+    is not affected: the parser finds the keys of an object with many members in a hash table and takes linear time.
 
     The cost is negligible for the object sizes typically found in configuration files or API payloads, but it grows
-    steeply for machine-generated objects with many thousands of keys. Measured with `-O2 -DNDEBUG` for parsing a flat
-    object of `n` keys, relative to `#!cpp nlohmann::json` (which uses `#!cpp std::map`):
+    steeply for machine-generated objects with many thousands of keys. Measured with Apple clang 21, `-O2 -DNDEBUG`,
+    arm64, for a flat object of `n` keys (best of seven runs):
 
-    | `n`    | `json` | `ordered_json` | factor |
-    |--------|--------|----------------|--------|
-    | 2000   | 0.7 ms | 3.6 ms         | 5×     |
-    | 4000   | 0.8 ms | 14.0 ms        | 19×    |
-    | 8000   | 1.6 ms | 67.8 ms        | 43×    |
-    | 16 000 | 3.3 ms | 181.6 ms       | 54×    |
+    | `n`    | `json::parse` | `ordered_json::parse` | `ordered_json`, key by key | `ordered_json::from_cbor` |
+    |--------|---------------|-----------------------|----------------------------|---------------------------|
+    | 2000   | 0.3 ms        | 0.1 ms                | 4.5 ms                     | 4.4 ms                    |
+    | 4000   | 0.5 ms        | 0.2 ms                | 17.1 ms                    | 16.8 ms                   |
+    | 8000   | 0.9 ms        | 0.3 ms                | 67.0 ms                    | 66.8 ms                   |
+    | 16 000 | 2.0 ms        | 0.7 ms                | 282.4 ms                   | 282.4 ms                  |
 
     If key order matters for objects of that size, consider a container with a lookup index, such as
     [`nlohmann::fifo_map`](https://github.com/nlohmann/fifo_map)

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/binary_formats/bon8.md

@@ -181,7 +181,10 @@ of the message are reported as [parse_error.110](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonex
     arrays and objects with up to four elements that are terminated by 0xFE, unsorted object keys, or a 0xFF after a
     string that would also end without it, are accepted. A second 0xFF is not a terminator but an empty string.
 
-    Strings must be valid UTF-8, and a string at the very end of a message must be terminated by 0xFF.
+    Strings must be valid UTF-8, and a string at the very end of a message must be terminated by 0xFF. This also
+    holds when `strict` is false and more data follows the value: the byte that would end the string belongs to the
+    next value, and reading it would remove it from the input, so the missing 0xFF is reported as
+    [parse_error.110](../../home/exceptions.md#jsonexceptionparse_error110).
 
     Duplicate object keys are accepted; the last value wins (`ordered_json` keeps the position of the first occurrence).
     The specification does not say how to treat them; the HikoGUI reference decoder keeps the first value.

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/modules.md

@@ -9,19 +9,7 @@ Importing the module instead of including the header reduces the compile time of
 ## Requirements
 The `nlohmann.json` module requires that the build system is configured to build and resolve modules when imported. Obviously, as modules were introduced in C++20, this feature can only be used in C++20 and subsequent versions.
 
-To enable building the `nlohmann.json` module (which is not done by default), set the CMake option
-[`NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES`](../integration/cmake.md#nlohmann_json_build_modules) and link the
-`nlohmann_json_modules` target.
-
-With CMake, building the module needs:
-
-- CMake 3.28 or newer, and
-- a generator that scans for modules: Ninja (1.11 or newer), Ninja Multi-Config, or Visual Studio 2022 or newer.
-
-The example below also uses `import std;`. CMake supports it without experimental opt-in since version 4.5, and then
-only with the Ninja generators and these toolchains: Clang 18.1.2 or newer (with libc++ or libstdc++), MSVC toolset 14.36
-(Visual Studio 17.6) or newer, and GCC 15 or newer (GCC 16 on macOS). With older CMake versions, `import std;` needs
-CMake's version-specific experimental opt-in.
+To enable building the `nlohmann.json` module (which is not done by default), the macro `NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES` must be passed to the build system.
 
 ## Example
 When using modules rather than headers, the previous example for creating a `json` object through a JSON file, would instead be:
@@ -79,7 +67,7 @@ and should not be used directly:
 
 ## Known issues
 
-C++20 modules support is exercised in CI with CMake 4.5 and `import std;` against current GCC and Clang on Ubuntu, and the default MSVC toolset on Windows Server 2022 — there is no documented minimum compiler version, unlike feature-test-macro-gated features such as [`JSON_HAS_RANGES`](../api/macros/json_has_ranges.md).
+C++20 modules support is exercised in CI against current GCC and Clang on Ubuntu, and the default MSVC toolset on Windows Server 2022 — there is no documented minimum compiler version, unlike feature-test-macro-gated features such as [`JSON_HAS_RANGES`](../api/macros/json_has_ranges.md).
 
 !!! info "Known compiler issues"
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/features/parsing/untrusted_input.md

@@ -64,13 +64,13 @@ stack for the nesting.)
 
 The call stack still needs room for the levels that are recursed into, and the default limit assumes a stack of ordinary
 size. The stack that an operation needs is roughly proportional to the limit; with the default of 128 levels, the most
-demanding operation (`dump` in an unoptimized build) needed up to 288 KiB, and an optimized build needed 48 KiB or less,
-in measurements on macOS with arm64. The most demanding operation needed this much stack at the limits `0`, `32`,
-`128`, and `254`:
+demanding operations (copying a value and converting it to another `basic_json` type, in an unoptimized build) needed
+up to 224 KiB, and an optimized build needed 48 KiB or less, in measurements on macOS with arm64. The most demanding
+operation needed this much stack at the limits `0`, `32`, `128`, and `254`:
 
 | Stack needed, in KiB | limit 0 | limit 32 | limit 128 (default) | limit 254 |
 |---|---:|---:|---:|---:|
-| unoptimized build (`-O0`) | 16 or less | 80 | 288 | 576 |
+| unoptimized build (`-O0`) | 16 or less | 64 | 224 | 448 |
 | optimized build (`-O2`) | 16 or less | 16 or less | 48 | 112 |
 
 A thread with a smaller stack (a task of a real-time operating system, a fiber, or a thread of the musl C library, whose
@@ -81,6 +81,20 @@ result. See the [documentation of the macro](../../api/macros/json_recursion_dep
 the speed, and the rules for choosing a value. Destroying a value (its destructor) recurses over the same number of
 levels and then continues without the call stack, and needs 32 KiB or less at every limit.
 
+!!! warning "Indented output and flattened keys grow with the depth"
+
+    Some results are larger than the value by a factor of its nesting depth.
+    [`dump`](../../api/basic_json/dump.md) with an `indent` of `n` (and likewise `operator<<` with `std::setw(n)` and
+    [`basic_json_view::dump`](../../api/basic_json_view/dump.md)) writes up to `n` characters per nesting level in
+    front of every line, and [`flatten`](../../api/basic_json/flatten.md) repeats the path of every value in its key.
+    For the 80,001-byte array `[1,[1,...[1,1]...]]` with 20,000 levels, `dump(1)` returns 600 MB, `dump(4)` 2.4 GB,
+    and the keys of `flatten()` hold 400 MB. A compact `dump()` without indentation stays the size of the value. If you
+    pretty-print, log, or flatten untrusted input, limit its nesting depth while parsing, for example with a
+    [parser callback](parser_callbacks.md#recipe-max-nesting-depth-via-a-callback): with a limit of `d`, every line has
+    at most `n * d` indentation characters, and every flattened key has at most `d` reference tokens.
+    [`JSON_RECURSION_DEPTH_LIMIT`](../../api/macros/json_recursion_depth_limit.md) does not help here: it changes only
+    how much of the call stack a walk uses, never its result, and it does not limit the depth that `parse()` accepts.
+
 ## Input size
 
 The library does not limit the overall size of a JSON text; a value nested or wide enough will use memory
@@ -140,6 +154,20 @@ values for a repeated key ends up in the parsed object. If your application must
 silently resolving them one way or another, see the
 [parser callback recipe for rejecting duplicate keys](parser_callbacks.md#recipe-rejecting-duplicate-object-keys).
 
+## Objects with many keys in `ordered_json`
+
+[`ordered_json`](../../api/ordered_json.md) keeps the members of an object in a vector in insertion order
+([`ordered_map`](../../api/ordered_map.md)) and finds a key by searching all members. Parsing JSON text into an
+`ordered_json` avoids that search for objects with many keys and takes linear time. The binary readers
+([`from_cbor`](../../api/basic_json/from_cbor.md), [`from_msgpack`](../../api/basic_json/from_msgpack.md),
+[`from_ubjson`](../../api/basic_json/from_ubjson.md), [`from_bjdata`](../../api/basic_json/from_bjdata.md),
+[`from_bson`](../../api/basic_json/from_bson.md), and [`from_bon8`](../../api/basic_json/from_bon8.md)) do not yet:
+reading an object of `n` keys into an `ordered_json` costs time proportional to `n²`. A flat object of 40,000 keys
+(about 300 KB of CBOR) takes about 1.3 s, against a few milliseconds as JSON text or into a `json`
+([#6104](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/6104)). `json` is not affected. If you read untrusted binary input
+into `ordered_json`, bound the input size more tightly, read it into a `json`, or reject objects with many keys in a
+[SAX handler](sax_interface.md).
+
 ## Numbers
 
 A number whose value cannot be represented — for instance `1E1000`, which overflows `double` — is rejected while
@@ -171,9 +199,11 @@ indices (or the pointer as a whole) before using them, or use [`at`](../../api/b
 
 - Wrap parsing in a `#!cpp try`/`#!cpp catch` block, or use `allow_exceptions=false`/`accept()` if your environment
   cannot use exceptions; never let `JSON_NOEXCEPTION`'s `abort()` be the first time you think about error handling.
-- If the input's nesting depth matters to you, enforce your own limit with a
-  [parser callback](parser_callbacks.md#recipe-max-nesting-depth-via-a-callback) or a
+- If the input's nesting depth matters to you (for example because you pretty-print, log, or flatten it), enforce your
+  own limit with a [parser callback](parser_callbacks.md#recipe-max-nesting-depth-via-a-callback) or a
   [SAX handler](sax_interface.md); the library bounds the call stack but not memory use.
+- If you read untrusted binary input into `ordered_json`, mind that objects with many keys are
+  [slow to read](#objects-with-many-keys-in-ordered_json).
 - Bound the size of the input itself before parsing, independent of the library's own bounded allocations for binary
   format lengths.
 - Decide up front how you want a string with invalid UTF-8 — from any source, not only parsing — to be serialized

docs/mkdocs/docs/integration/cmake.md

@@ -269,9 +269,6 @@ target_link_libraries(myproject PRIVATE nlohmann_json_modules)
 target_compile_definitions(myproject PRIVATE NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES)
 ```
 
-If `main.cpp` also uses `import std;`, the project needs CMake 4.5 or newer and a Ninja generator; see
-[Modules](../features/modules.md#requirements) for the supported toolchains.
-
 ## See also
 
 - [Macros](../api/macros/index.md) - reference of all macros

include/nlohmann/detail/input/binary_reader.hpp

@@ -177,6 +177,17 @@ class binary_reader
                 JSON_ASSERT(false); // NOLINT(cert-dcl03-c,hicpp-static-assert,misc-static-assert) LCOV_EXCL_LINE
         }
 
+        // BON8: a string ends at the first byte that cannot continue it. If
+        // that byte follows the value, the reader has already taken it from
+        // the input and holds it in bon8_pushback. Without the end-of-input
+        // check below it would be dropped, and the next read would start
+        // behind it, so report the missing 0xFF instead.
+        if (result && !strict && input_format == input_format_t::bon8 && bon8_pushback_size != 0)
+        {
+            get_bon8();
+            return last_byte_error(exception_id::unexpected_end_of_input, "string at the end of the value is not terminated by 0xFF", "value", "");
+        }
+
         // strict mode: next byte must be EOF
         if (result && strict)
         {

include/nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp

@@ -230,6 +230,16 @@
 // detail/recursion_depth_limit.hpp. Like JSON_NO_THREAD_LOCAL it is neither part
 // of the ABI tag nor undefined at the end of json.hpp.
 
+// forced inlining of the serializer's helpers only in optimized builds: at -O0,
+// GCC and Clang give every inlined copy its own stack slots, which made the
+// recursive frame of serializer::dump_container() about 2.3 KB (MSVC does not
+// expand __forceinline at /Ob0, so it keeps it)
+#if defined(__OPTIMIZE__) || defined(_MSC_VER)
+    #define JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+#else
+    #define JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE inline
+#endif
+
 // allow disabling exceptions
 #if (defined(__cpp_exceptions) || defined(__EXCEPTIONS) || defined(_CPPUNWIND)) && !defined(JSON_NOEXCEPTION)
     #define JSON_THROW(exception) throw exception

include/nlohmann/detail/macro_unscope.hpp

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 // clean up
 #undef JSON_ASSERT
 #undef JSON_INTERNAL_CATCH
+#undef JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE
 #undef JSON_THROW
 #undef JSON_PRIVATE_UNLESS_TESTED
 #undef NLOHMANN_BASIC_JSON_TPL_DECLARATION

include/nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp

@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ class serializer
     for a container; writing them from here spares each the entry and exit of
     that function.
     */
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void dump_element(const BasicJsonType& val,
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void dump_element(const BasicJsonType& val,
             const std::size_t current_indent,
             const std::size_t depth)
     {
@@ -971,7 +971,7 @@ class serializer
     }
 
     /// write out the bytes pending in @ref string_buffer and reset @a bytes
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void emit_pending(std::size_t& bytes)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void emit_pending(std::size_t& bytes)
     {
         if (bytes != 0)
         {
@@ -983,7 +983,7 @@ class serializer
     /// write buffer and reset index if fewer than 13 bytes are left, as this
     /// is the maximal number of bytes to be written ("\uxxxx\uxxxx\0") for one
     /// code point
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void reserve_string_buffer(std::size_t& bytes)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void reserve_string_buffer(std::size_t& bytes)
     {
         if (string_buffer.size() - bytes < 13)
         {
@@ -1344,7 +1344,7 @@ class serializer
           inlining both into the pretty-printing loops once @ref dump_escaped
           has grown, which made indented output up to 13% slower
     */
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_indent(std::size_t indent)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_indent(std::size_t indent)
     {
         // closing braces at the outermost level ask for no indentation at all
         if (indent == 0)
@@ -1398,7 +1398,7 @@ class serializer
     its room and four stores of the indentation, see @ref put_short_literal_indent.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         if (JSON_HEDLEY_LIKELY(put_short_literal_indent(s, indent)))
         {
@@ -1418,7 +1418,7 @@ class serializer
     @a indent is wider or the write buffer lacks the room.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE bool put_short_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE bool put_short_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         constexpr std::size_t length = N - 1;
         if (indent > 32 || write_buffer_pos + length + 32 > write_buffer.size())
@@ -1445,7 +1445,7 @@ class serializer
     write-through path for oversized runs.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_literal(const char (&s)[N]) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_literal(const char (&s)[N]) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         static_assert(N >= 2, "put_literal expects a non-empty string literal");
         // the array bound counts the terminating NUL, which is not written

single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp

@@ -2603,6 +2603,16 @@ JSON_HEDLEY_DIAGNOSTIC_POP
 // detail/recursion_depth_limit.hpp. Like JSON_NO_THREAD_LOCAL it is neither part
 // of the ABI tag nor undefined at the end of json.hpp.
 
+// forced inlining of the serializer's helpers only in optimized builds: at -O0,
+// GCC and Clang give every inlined copy its own stack slots, which made the
+// recursive frame of serializer::dump_container() about 2.3 KB (MSVC does not
+// expand __forceinline at /Ob0, so it keeps it)
+#if defined(__OPTIMIZE__) || defined(_MSC_VER)
+    #define JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE
+#else
+    #define JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE inline
+#endif
+
 // allow disabling exceptions
 #if (defined(__cpp_exceptions) || defined(__EXCEPTIONS) || defined(_CPPUNWIND)) && !defined(JSON_NOEXCEPTION)
     #define JSON_THROW(exception) throw exception
@@ -18568,6 +18578,17 @@ class binary_reader
                 JSON_ASSERT(false); // NOLINT(cert-dcl03-c,hicpp-static-assert,misc-static-assert) LCOV_EXCL_LINE
         }
 
+        // BON8: a string ends at the first byte that cannot continue it. If
+        // that byte follows the value, the reader has already taken it from
+        // the input and holds it in bon8_pushback. Without the end-of-input
+        // check below it would be dropped, and the next read would start
+        // behind it, so report the missing 0xFF instead.
+        if (result && !strict && input_format == input_format_t::bon8 && bon8_pushback_size != 0)
+        {
+            get_bon8();
+            return last_byte_error(exception_id::unexpected_end_of_input, "string at the end of the value is not terminated by 0xFF", "value", "");
+        }
+
         // strict mode: next byte must be EOF
         if (result && strict)
         {
@@ -36985,7 +37006,7 @@ class serializer
     for a container; writing them from here spares each the entry and exit of
     that function.
     */
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void dump_element(const BasicJsonType& val,
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void dump_element(const BasicJsonType& val,
             const std::size_t current_indent,
             const std::size_t depth)
     {
@@ -37691,7 +37712,7 @@ class serializer
     }
 
     /// write out the bytes pending in @ref string_buffer and reset @a bytes
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void emit_pending(std::size_t& bytes)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void emit_pending(std::size_t& bytes)
     {
         if (bytes != 0)
         {
@@ -37703,7 +37724,7 @@ class serializer
     /// write buffer and reset index if fewer than 13 bytes are left, as this
     /// is the maximal number of bytes to be written ("\uxxxx\uxxxx\0") for one
     /// code point
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void reserve_string_buffer(std::size_t& bytes)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void reserve_string_buffer(std::size_t& bytes)
     {
         if (string_buffer.size() - bytes < 13)
         {
@@ -38064,7 +38085,7 @@ class serializer
           inlining both into the pretty-printing loops once @ref dump_escaped
           has grown, which made indented output up to 13% slower
     */
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_indent(std::size_t indent)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_indent(std::size_t indent)
     {
         // closing braces at the outermost level ask for no indentation at all
         if (indent == 0)
@@ -38118,7 +38139,7 @@ class serializer
     its room and four stores of the indentation, see @ref put_short_literal_indent.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         if (JSON_HEDLEY_LIKELY(put_short_literal_indent(s, indent)))
         {
@@ -38138,7 +38159,7 @@ class serializer
     @a indent is wider or the write buffer lacks the room.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE bool put_short_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE bool put_short_literal_indent(const char (&s)[N], const std::size_t indent) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         constexpr std::size_t length = N - 1;
         if (indent > 32 || write_buffer_pos + length + 32 > write_buffer.size())
@@ -38165,7 +38186,7 @@ class serializer
     write-through path for oversized runs.
     */
     template<std::size_t N>
-    JSON_HEDLEY_ALWAYS_INLINE void put_literal(const char (&s)[N]) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE void put_literal(const char (&s)[N]) // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
     {
         static_assert(N >= 2, "put_literal expects a non-empty string literal");
         // the array bound counts the terminating NUL, which is not written
@@ -47885,6 +47906,7 @@ struct formatter<nlohmann::NLOHMANN_BASIC_JSON_TPL, char> // NOLINT(cert-dcl58-c
 // clean up
 #undef JSON_ASSERT
 #undef JSON_INTERNAL_CATCH
+#undef JSON_INTERNAL_SERIALIZER_INLINE
 #undef JSON_THROW
 #undef JSON_PRIVATE_UNLESS_TESTED
 #undef NLOHMANN_BASIC_JSON_TPL_DECLARATION

tests/module_cpp20/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
-# `import std;` (used by main.cpp) is supported without experimental opt-in
-# since CMake 4.5: it is available to every target that scans for C++ modules.
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 4.5)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.30)
+
+# `import std;` (used by main.cpp) needs CMake's experimental C++ import-std
+# support. The accepted token is CMake-version-specific; this value matches the
+# CMake version pinned in the ci_module_cpp20 CI jobs (4.3.x). If that pin is
+# bumped, this token must be updated to match (configuration fails loudly
+# otherwise).
+set(CMAKE_EXPERIMENTAL_CXX_IMPORT_STD "451f2fe2-a8a2-47c3-bc32-94786d8fc91b")
 
 project(json_test CXX)
 
@@ -8,6 +13,7 @@ project(json_test CXX)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 23)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS OFF)
+set(CMAKE_CXX_MODULE_STD ON)
 
 set(NLOHMANN_JSON_BUILD_MODULES ON CACHE BOOL "Enable nlohmann.json module support")
 

tests/module_cpp20/main.cpp

@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ using namespace nlohmann::literals;
 // Standard-library facilities are pulled in via `import std;` rather than
 // textual `#include`s: mixing `import` with textual standard headers does not
 // compile under GCC's C++20 modules implementation, whereas `import std;` works
-// across GCC, Clang, and MSVC. This requires C++23 and CMake 4.5 or newer;
-// see CMakeLists.txt.
+// across GCC, Clang, and MSVC. This requires C++23 and CMake's (experimental)
+// import-std support; see CMakeLists.txt.
 int main()
 {
     // basic_json / json: parsing and value access

tests/src/unit-bon8.cpp

@@ -608,14 +608,26 @@ TEST_CASE("BON8")
             CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(vec), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 2: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: expected end of input; last byte: 0x90", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK(json::from_bon8(vec, true, false).is_discarded());
 
-            // the byte after a string that ends a container
+            // the byte after a string that ends a container: without strict, the
+            // missing 0xFF is reported, as the byte has been taken from the input
             const bytes vec2 = {0x81, 'a', 0x90};
-            CHECK(json::from_bon8(vec2, false) == json({"a"}));
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(vec2, false), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: string at the end of the value is not terminated by 0xFF; last byte: 0x90", json::parse_error&);
+            CHECK(json::from_bon8(vec2, false, false).is_discarded());
             CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(vec2), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: expected end of input; last byte: 0x90", json::parse_error&);
 
             const bytes vec3 = {0x81, 'a', 0xC2, 0x00};
-            CHECK(json::from_bon8(vec3, false) == json({"a"}));
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(vec3, false), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: string at the end of the value is not terminated by 0xFF; last byte: 0xC2", json::parse_error&);
             CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(vec3), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 3: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: expected end of input; last byte: 0xC2", json::parse_error&);
+
+            // with a terminated string, strict = false leaves the next value in the stream
+            std::istringstream terminated(std::string("\x61\xFF\x90", 3));
+            CHECK(json::from_bon8(terminated, false) == "a");
+            CHECK(terminated.tellg() == 2);
+            CHECK(json::from_bon8(terminated, false) == 0);
+
+            // without the terminator, the next value would be lost
+            std::istringstream unterminated(std::string("\x61\x90", 2));
+            CHECK_THROWS_WITH_AS(_ = json::from_bon8(unterminated, false), "[json.exception.parse_error.110] parse error at byte 2: syntax error while parsing BON8 value: string at the end of the value is not terminated by 0xFF; last byte: 0x90", json::parse_error&);
         }
     }