Crates / Compare / serde_json vs erased-serde
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
serde_json vs erased-serde
Short answerBy steady daily use, serde_json is bigger: 4,294,696 real downloads a day against 763,150 for erased-serde (5.6x). 113,141 crates depend on serde_json and 362 on erased-serde. serde_json last shipped 13 days ago, erased-serde 8 months ago.
serde_json
FoundationalFoundational and steady.
113,141 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
A JSON serialization file format
erased-serde
EstablishedEstablished and steady.
362 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Type-erased Serialize and Serializer traits
serde_jsonerased-serde · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
How they relate
- Often used together: 1 tracked crate depend on both (icu_provider). They are not always either/or.
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | serde_json | erased-serde |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 4,294,696 | 763,150 |
| Crates that depend on it | 113,141 | 362 |
| Last release | 1.0.154, 13 days ago | 0.4.10, 8 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | -6% | -7% |
| Release-window share | 3.4% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 381,172,075 | 66,288,128 |
| All-time downloads | 1,484,483,384 | 262,642,396 |
| Versions published | 186 | 49 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.71 | 1.68 |
| First published | Aug 7, 2015 | Aug 21, 2016 |
Which to pick
- Downloads tell you what is common, not what fits. Each crate's own description above says what it is for; when the jobs differ, pick by the job.
- When both fit, prefer the one more crates depend on (serde_json, 113,141 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: serde_json 13 days ago, erased-serde 8 months ago.
Also in this space
Method
Real downloads = the median day with no release that day or the day before, from the crates.io API (Jul 27, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Raw crates.io counts include CI and bots and run high (why); the method is from our 90-day study.
Up next
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