readValue and readTree in Jackson: when to use which?

Question

I\'m just starting using the Jackson JSON library. Jackson is a very powerful library, but it has a terribly extensive API. A lot of things can be done in multiple ways. This ma

Answer 1

readValue() can be used for any and all types, including JsonNode. readTree() only works for JsonNode (tree model); and is added for convenience.

Note that you NEVER want to use your first example: it is equivalent to writing out your node as JSON, then reading it back -- just cast it.