# .red as file extension for Node-RED flows

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/red-as-file-extension-for-node-red-flows/79511>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Tags:** editor, feature-request\
**Created:** [30 June 2023 17:53 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/red-as-file-extension-for-node-red-flows/79511 "2023-06-30T17:53:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 13

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**Author:** ![gregorius](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gregorius/32/73816_2.png) [@gregorius](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gregorius)\
**Post date:** [2 July 2023 08:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/red-as-file-extension-for-node-red-flows/79511/13 "2023-07-02T08:07:59Z")

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I see this a bit like having `.ipynb` extension for Jupyter notebooks. if you look [inside](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gorenje/sysmlv2-jupyter-docker/main/notebooks/MBSE4U/SYSMODwithSysMLv2.ipynb) they are a big fat json, so they could also be called `.json` but they're not. The benefit is that GitHub, seeing the `ipynb` extension, creates [a preview](https://github.com/gorenje/sysmlv2-jupyter-docker/blob/main/notebooks/MBSE4U/SYSMODwithSysMLv2.ipynb) of that same json file.

If there was a `.nrjson` or `.jnrflow` extension, GitHub could do the same with Node-RED flows.

Both formats have something in common: they are visual, so they should be presented visually. My beef against the "one long line of json" is not [unheard of](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/standalone-flow-viewer-plugin/79388/6) so I might be biased.

Also also my editor would be happy since I would map the extenstion to `fundamental-mode` instead of having it parse a 1.3MB long json string because the `json-mode` kicks in for `.json` files.

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_[View the full topic](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/red-as-file-extension-for-node-red-flows/79511)._