# JSON_USE_SIMDUTF

```cpp
#define JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
```

When defined, the parser validates the UTF-8 content of JSON strings that come from a **contiguous byte input**
(`std::string`, `std::vector<char>`/`<std::uint8_t>`, string literals, `const char*` ranges, …) using the
[simdutf](https://github.com/simdutf/simdutf) library instead of the built-in scalar validator. On text with many
non-ASCII characters (e.g. CJK or emoji) this can validate several times faster.

This is an **opt-in external dependency**. The library itself remains header-only and its behavior is unchanged: the
same input is accepted or rejected either way, and every parse error is reported at the same position with the same
message (simdutf is only used to fast-path *valid* runs; anything it flags falls back to the scalar path so the exact
diagnostic is preserved). Streaming inputs (files, `std::istream`, wide strings, user-defined adapters) always use the
scalar path.

When `JSON_USE_SIMDUTF` is defined you must make the `simdutf.h` header available on the include path and link the
simdutf library. When it is not defined, no simdutf header is included and there is no dependency.

## Default definition

By default, `#!cpp JSON_USE_SIMDUTF` is not defined and the portable C++11 scalar validator is used.

```cpp
#undef JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
```

## Examples

??? example

    The code below enables the simdutf backend for UTF-8 validation.

    ```cpp
    #define JSON_USE_SIMDUTF 1
    #include <simdutf.h>
    #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>

    ...
    ```

    The project must also link against simdutf, e.g. with CMake:

    ```cmake
    target_compile_definitions(your_target PRIVATE JSON_USE_SIMDUTF)
    target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE simdutf::simdutf)
    ```

## Version history

- Added in version 3.12.1.