JSON Server v1 (beta) is a CLI tool and library that spins up a fully functional REST API from a JSON or JSON5 file. It is built on top of lowdb for data persistence and @tinyhttp/app for HTTP handling. The architecture is a clean three-layer design: a CLI entry point (bin.ts) that wires file watching and server startup, an Express-like app layer (app.ts) that defines routes and parses query parameters, and a service layer (service.ts) that encapsulates all data access, filtering, pagination, and relationship embedding. The system supports advanced query capabilities including field operators (gt, lt, in, contains, etc.), JSON-based _where queries, sorting, pagination with navigation metadata, and resource embedding via _embed. It also handles referential integrity on deletes by nullifying foreign keys or cascading dependent deletions. The codebase demonstrates solid TypeScript craftsmanship with strict mode enabled, modern ESM modules, and a clear separation of concerns. Notable engineering patterns include the NormalizedAdapter wrapper that enforces string IDs and strips $schema on read while re-injecting it on write, and the Observer adapter that intercepts lowdb read/write lifecycle events to enable file-watch reloading without feedback loops. The query parsing layer cleanly separates URLSearchParams-based operator syntax from raw JSON _where objects, with proper type coercion for booleans, null, and numbers. The project is in active beta (v1.0.0-beta.15) with recent commits, CI via GitHub Actions, and a pre-commit hook running tests. It targets Node.js >=22.12 and leverages experimental TypeScript stripping for development. Dependencies are current and well-chosen (lowdb v7, @tinyhttp v3, eta v4). The test suite uses Node's built-in test runner and covers the service layer, query parsing, pagination, and full HTTP integration tests.