How to Serialize Python Enums to JSON

This guide shows the simplest and most direct way to serialize a Python Enum to JSON.

Using str or int as Base Class

If the values in your enum are strings or integers, you can inherit from str or int:

from enum import Enum
import json

class Color(str, Enum): # Inherit from str, then Enum
   RED = 'stop'
   GREEN = 'go'
   YELLOW = 'get ready'
my_json = json.dumps(Color.RED)
print(my_json) # Output: "stop"

class Color(int, Enum):
   RED = 1
   GREEN = 2
   YELLOW = 3
my_json = json.dumps(Color.RED)
print(my_json) # Output: 1

• The str class should come before the Enum class.
• If the values are of type string, extend from str class.
• If the values are of type integer, extend from int class.