The JSON-java library is a reference implementation for JSON processing in Java. It provides core functionality for parsing JSON strings into Java objects (JSONObject and JSONArray) and generating JSON from Java objects. Additionally, it includes conversion utilities for transforming JSON to/from XML, HTTP headers, cookies, comma-delimited lists (CDL), and properties files. The library is designed to be dependency-free, backward compatible (supporting Java 1.6 to 25), and adheres strictly to JSON specifications. Its architecture is modular, with separate classes handling parsing (JSONTokener), generation (JSONStringer, JSONWriter), and format conversions (XML, Cookie, etc.), all coordinated through configuration classes that use a fluent builder pattern.