module ActiveModel::Serializers::JSON

# File activemodel/lib/active_model/serializers/json.rb, line 88
def as_json(options = nil)
  root = if options && options.key?(:root)
    options[:root]
  else
    include_root_in_json
  end

  if root
    root = model_name.element if root == true
    { root => serializable_hash(options) }
  else
    serializable_hash(options)
  end
end

Returns a hash representing the model. Some configuration can be passed through options.

The option include_root_in_json controls the top-level behavior of as_json. If true, as_json will emit a single root node named after the object's type. The default value for include_root_in_json option is false.

user = User.find(1)
user.as_json
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#     "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true}

ActiveRecord::Base.include_root_in_json = true

user.as_json
# => { "user" => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#                  "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true } }

This behavior can also be achieved by setting the :root option to true as in:

user = User.find(1)
user.as_json(root: true)
# => { "user" => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#                  "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true } }

Without any options, the returned Hash will include all the model's attributes.

user = User.find(1)
user.as_json
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#      "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true}

The :only and :except options can be used to limit the attributes included, and work similar to the attributes method.

user.as_json(only: [:id, :name])
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi" }

user.as_json(except: [:id, :created_at, :age])
# => { "name" => "Konata Izumi", "awesome" => true }

To include the result of some method calls on the model use :methods:

user.as_json(methods: :permalink)
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#      "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true,
#      "permalink" => "1-konata-izumi" }

To include associations use :include:

user.as_json(include: :posts)
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#      "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true,
#      "posts" => [ { "id" => 1, "author_id" => 1, "title" => "Welcome to the weblog" },
#                   { "id" => 2, "author_id" => 1, "title" => "So I was thinking" } ] }

Second level and higher order associations work as well:

user.as_json(include: { posts: {
                           include: { comments: {
                                          only: :body } },
                           only: :title } })
# => { "id" => 1, "name" => "Konata Izumi", "age" => 16,
#      "created_at" => "2006/08/01", "awesome" => true,
#      "posts" => [ { "comments" => [ { "body" => "1st post!" }, { "body" => "Second!" } ],
#                     "title" => "Welcome to the weblog" },
#                   { "comments" => [ { "body" => "Don't think too hard" } ],
#                     "title" => "So I was thinking" } ] }

# File activemodel/lib/active_model/serializers/json.rb, line 137
def from_json(json, include_root=include_root_in_json)
  hash = ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(json)
  hash = hash.values.first if include_root
  self.attributes = hash
  self
end

Sets the model attributes from a JSON string. Returns self.

class Person
  include ActiveModel::Serializers::JSON

  attr_accessor :name, :age, :awesome

  def attributes=(hash)
    hash.each do |key, value|
      send("#{key}=", value)
    end
  end

  def attributes
    instance_values
  end
end

json = { name: 'bob', age: 22, awesome:true }.to_json
person = Person.new
person.from_json(json) # => #<Person:0x007fec5e7a0088 @age=22, @awesome=true, @name="bob">
person.name            # => "bob"
person.age             # => 22
person.awesome         # => true

The default value for include_root is false. You can change it to true if the given JSON string includes a single root node.

json = { person: { name: 'bob', age: 22, awesome:true } }.to_json
person = Person.new
person.from_json(json, true) # => #<Person:0x007fec5e7a0088 @age=22, @awesome=true, @name="bob">
person.name                  # => "bob"
person.age                   # => 22
person.awesome               # => true