The JSON Schema Compiler is used by the chrome extensions system to generate various necessary files from the “schemas” in extensions. These include the C++ type representations for API types, string blobs for the files, feature availability information, and more. You can read more about these in our documentation on schemas and features.

Note that, despite its name, the JSON Schema Compiler does not just handle JSON files -- it also handles files written in IDL syntax.

The main entry point for generation is compiler.py, which then uses different “compilers” and “generators” to produce necessary types and files. These are used in gn actions in various files in the codebase, such as those in //chrome/common/extensions/api/ and //extensions/common/api.

For any questions, reach out to the OWNERS.