The plain-English version
An explicit agreement about a dataset's fields, meaning, quality expectations, and change process.
Why it matters
It makes assumptions visible between the code producing data and the code consuming it.
Let’s make it click
An orders contract specifies unique order IDs, UTC event timestamps, allowed statuses, and how cancellations are represented.
Vibe Bro’s heads-up
Checking that JSON parses does not establish that the values satisfy the business meaning or freshness expectations.
The docs behind it
Documentation links checked .
Editorial review · October 28, 2026
Supported: A data contract extends structural parsing with application meaning and freshness; the examples are explicitly a chosen contract.