A string context is parsed as JSON where it parses

What it means

Whether a string context is parsed turns entirely on whether it parses, not on whether it looks like ordinary text or looks like data. The sharp edge is the four-character string "null": it reads like the kind of text a pass-through would leave alone, but it is itself a complete, valid JSON document, so it decodes to the JSON value null rather than surviving as the four-letter word. Nothing about the surrounding path decides this — the context alone does.

Example

The context is a string in both cases; only whether it parses as JSON decides what querying the root returns.

"null"

null

"{\"name\": \"Test\", \"value\": 123}"

"Test"