JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the universal language of mobile APIs. On Android, we transition from raw strings to structured objects. As an Engineering Manager, you must choose a serialization library that balances Performance (parsing speed) with Code Safety (nullability and type checks). Modern libraries like Kotlin Serialization are preferred because they are 'Multiplatform' ready, matching your Flutter-first mindset.

Developed by JetBrains, this is the recommended way to handle JSON in 2026. It uses a compiler plugin to generate parsing code at compile time, making it significantly faster than Gson. It also respects Kotlin's default values and null-safety, ensuring your Revochamp models never have 'missing' required fields.

Moshi is the successor to Gson, built by the Square team (the creators of Retrofit). It is highly efficient and designed specifically for modern Android. It handles 'Platform Types' and JSON adapters better than almost any other library. For a Lead Developer, Moshi is the best choice when dealing with highly dynamic JSON structures from your AI backend.

In Revochamp, your AI might return a list of various widget types. You can use Polymorphic Serialization to parse a list into different subclasses based on a 'type' field in the JSON. This is the native equivalent of Dart's 'switch' expressions for pattern matching in JSON mapping.