Fix number fast path for custom string types without assign()

The contiguous number fast path materialized token_buffer with
token_buffer.assign(data, len), but string_t is only required to provide
the minimal interface the rest of the lexer uses (push_back, append,
clear, operator[], ...). Custom string types such as the test's alt_string
do not implement assign(), so scan_number_bulk_contiguous() failed to
compile for them (unit-alt-string), breaking the gcc/clang standards and
old-compiler CI jobs.

reset() already clears token_buffer, so fill it with append() - which
alt_string and std::string both provide and which the string fast path
already relies on - instead of assign().

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01AXcDtEma2PjxgmPS9cQGzA
Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/index.md

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ header. See also the [macro overview page](../../features/macros.md).
 - [**JSON_NO_IO**](json_no_io.md) - switch off functions relying on certain C++ I/O headers
 - [**JSON_SKIP_UNSUPPORTED_COMPILER_CHECK**](json_skip_unsupported_compiler_check.md) - do not warn about unsupported compilers
 - [**JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS**](json_use_global_udls.md) - place user-defined string literals (UDLs) into the global namespace
+- [**JSON_USE_SIMDUTF**](json_use_simdutf.md) - use the simdutf library to accelerate UTF-8 validation
 
 ## Library version
 

docs/mkdocs/docs/api/macros/json_use_simdutf.md

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
+
+```cpp
+#define JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
+```
+
+When defined, the parser validates the UTF-8 content of JSON strings that come from a **contiguous byte input**
+(`std::string`, `std::vector<char>`/`<std::uint8_t>`, string literals, `const char*` ranges, …) using the
+[simdutf](https://github.com/simdutf/simdutf) library instead of the built-in scalar validator. On text with many
+non-ASCII characters (e.g. CJK or emoji) this can validate several times faster.
+
+This is an **opt-in external dependency**. The library itself remains header-only and its behavior is unchanged: the
+same input is accepted or rejected either way, and every parse error is reported at the same position with the same
+message (simdutf is only used to fast-path *valid* runs; anything it flags falls back to the scalar path so the exact
+diagnostic is preserved). Streaming inputs (files, `std::istream`, wide strings, user-defined adapters) always use the
+scalar path.
+
+When `JSON_USE_SIMDUTF` is defined you must make the `simdutf.h` header available on the include path and link the
+simdutf library. When it is not defined, no simdutf header is included and there is no dependency.
+
+## Default definition
+
+By default, `#!cpp JSON_USE_SIMDUTF` is not defined and the portable C++11 scalar validator is used.
+
+```cpp
+#undef JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
+```
+
+## Examples
+
+??? example
+
+    The code below enables the simdutf backend for UTF-8 validation.
+
+    ```cpp
+    #define JSON_USE_SIMDUTF 1
+    #include <simdutf.h>
+    #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+    ...
+    ```
+
+    The project must also link against simdutf, e.g. with CMake:
+
+    ```cmake
+    target_compile_definitions(your_target PRIVATE JSON_USE_SIMDUTF)
+    target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE simdutf::simdutf)
+    ```
+
+## Version history
+
+- Added in version 3.12.1.

docs/mkdocs/mkdocs.yml

@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ nav:
           - 'JSON_USE_GLOBAL_UDLS': api/macros/json_use_global_udls.md
           - 'JSON_USE_IMPLICIT_CONVERSIONS': api/macros/json_use_implicit_conversions.md
           - 'JSON_USE_LEGACY_DISCARDED_VALUE_COMPARISON': api/macros/json_use_legacy_discarded_value_comparison.md
+          - 'JSON_USE_SIMDUTF': api/macros/json_use_simdutf.md
           - 'NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_INTRUSIVE, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_INTRUSIVE_WITH_DEFAULT, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_INTRUSIVE_ONLY_SERIALIZE, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE_WITH_DEFAULT, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_DERIVED_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE_ONLY_SERIALIZE': api/macros/nlohmann_define_derived_type.md
           - 'NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_INTRUSIVE, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_INTRUSIVE_WITH_DEFAULT, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_INTRUSIVE_ONLY_SERIALIZE': api/macros/nlohmann_define_type_intrusive.md
           - 'NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE_WITH_DEFAULT, NLOHMANN_DEFINE_TYPE_NON_INTRUSIVE_ONLY_SERIALIZE': api/macros/nlohmann_define_type_non_intrusive.md

include/nlohmann/detail/input/input_adapters.hpp

@@ -593,6 +593,24 @@ typename iterator_input_adapter_factory<IteratorType, SentinelType>::adapter_typ
     return factory_type::create(first, last);
 }
 
+// Detect a container that stores its elements contiguously as single bytes
+// (std::string, std::vector<char/unsigned char>, std::array<char, N>,
+// std::string_view, ...). Such inputs are wrapped in a pointer-based adapter so
+// they benefit from the contiguous fast paths (bulk string scanning, memcpy for
+// binary formats) in every C++ standard - not only in C++20, where the standard
+// library iterators model std::contiguous_iterator and are detected directly.
+template<typename ContainerType, typename = void>
+struct is_contiguous_byte_container : std::false_type {};
+
+template<typename ContainerType>
+struct is_contiguous_byte_container < ContainerType, void_t <
+decltype(std::declval<const ContainerType&>().data()),
+decltype(std::declval<const ContainerType&>().size()) >>
+            : std::integral_constant < bool,
+        std::is_pointer<decltype(std::declval<const ContainerType&>().data())>::value&&
+        std::is_integral<typename std::remove_pointer<decltype(std::declval<const ContainerType&>().data())>::type>::value&&
+        sizeof(typename std::remove_pointer<decltype(std::declval<const ContainerType&>().data())>::type) == 1 > {};
+
 // Convenience shorthand from container to iterator
 // Enables ADL on begin(container) and end(container)
 // Encloses the using declarations in namespace for not to leak them to outside scope
@@ -620,12 +638,32 @@ struct container_input_adapter_factory< ContainerType,
 
 }  // namespace container_input_adapter_factory_impl
 
-template<typename ContainerType>
-typename container_input_adapter_factory_impl::container_input_adapter_factory<ContainerType>::adapter_type input_adapter(ContainerType&& container)
+// General container path (iterator-based). Contiguous single-byte containers
+// are excluded here and routed through the pointer-based overload below.
+template < typename ContainerType,
+           enable_if_t < !is_contiguous_byte_container<ContainerType>::value, int > = 0 >
+typename container_input_adapter_factory_impl::container_input_adapter_factory<ContainerType>::adapter_type input_adapter(ContainerType && container)
 {
     return container_input_adapter_factory_impl::container_input_adapter_factory<ContainerType>::create(std::forward<ContainerType>(container));
 }
 
+// Contiguous single-byte containers (std::string, std::vector<char>, ...) are
+// wrapped in a pointer-based adapter so the contiguous fast paths apply in every
+// standard. The pointer keeps the container's own element type (const char* for
+// std::string, const std::uint8_t* for std::vector<std::uint8_t>, ...), so the
+// resulting char_type - and therefore the parsing behavior - is byte-for-byte
+// identical to the iterator-based path; only the raw pointer additionally
+// enables the bulk fast paths. The container outlives the adapter for the whole
+// parse (temporaries live until the end of the full expression), exactly as the
+// iterators it replaces did.
+template < typename ContainerType,
+           enable_if_t < is_contiguous_byte_container<ContainerType>::value, int > = 0 >
+auto input_adapter(ContainerType && container)
+-> decltype(input_adapter(container.data(), container.data() + container.size()))
+{
+    return input_adapter(container.data(), container.data() + container.size());
+}
+
 // specialization for std::string
 using string_input_adapter_type = decltype(input_adapter(std::declval<std::string>()));
 

include/nlohmann/detail/input/lexer.hpp

@@ -11,18 +11,17 @@
 #include <array> // array
 #include <clocale> // localeconv
 #include <cstddef> // size_t
-#include <cstdint> // uint64_t
 #include <cstdio> // snprintf
 #include <cstdlib> // strtof, strtod, strtold, strtoll, strtoull
-#include <cstring> // memcpy
 #include <initializer_list> // initializer_list
-#include <limits> // numeric_limits
 #include <string> // char_traits, string
 #include <utility> // move
 #include <vector> // vector
 
 #include <nlohmann/detail/input/input_adapters.hpp>
+#include <nlohmann/detail/input/number_parse.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/input/position_t.hpp>
+#include <nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp>
 #include <nlohmann/detail/meta/type_traits.hpp>
 
@@ -295,63 +294,10 @@ class lexer : public lexer_base<BasicJsonType>
         return true;
     }
 
-    // classify a single byte as needing individual string handling: the
-    // closing quote, an escape, a control character, or a non-ASCII (UTF-8)
-    // lead/continuation byte. Ordinary bytes (0x20..0x7F except '"' and '\\')
-    // are copied verbatim, which the bulk scanner does 8 bytes at a time.
-    static bool is_string_special(unsigned char c) noexcept
-    {
-        return c == '\"' || c == '\\' || c < 0x20u || c >= 0x80u;
-    }
-
-    // SWAR helper: return a word whose high bit is set in every byte of @a v
-    // that is_string_special(); zero if the 8 bytes are all ordinary.
-    static std::uint64_t swar_string_special(std::uint64_t v) noexcept
-    {
-        constexpr std::uint64_t ones = 0x0101010101010101ull;
-        constexpr std::uint64_t high = 0x8080808080808080ull;
-        const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
-        const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
-        const std::uint64_t has_quote     = (q - ones) & ~q & high;
-        const std::uint64_t has_backslash = (b - ones) & ~b & high;
-        const std::uint64_t has_control   = (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high; // < 0x20
-        const std::uint64_t has_non_ascii = v & high;                                // >= 0x80
-        return has_quote | has_backslash | has_control | has_non_ascii;
-    }
-
-    // return the index of the first is_string_special() byte in [data, data+n),
-    // or n if every byte is ordinary; scans 8 bytes at a time
-    static std::size_t find_string_special(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t n) noexcept
-    {
-        std::size_t i = 0;
-        for (; i + 8 <= n; i += 8)
-        {
-            std::uint64_t word = 0;
-            std::memcpy(&word, data + i, sizeof(word));
-            if (swar_string_special(word) != 0)
-            {
-                // a special byte is in this word; locate it (endian-agnostic)
-                for (std::size_t j = 0; j < 8; ++j)
-                {
-                    if (is_string_special(data[i + j]))
-                    {
-                        return i + j;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        for (; i < n; ++i)
-        {
-            if (is_string_special(data[i]))
-            {
-                return i;
-            }
-        }
-        return n;
-    }
-
-    /// contiguous input: bulk-append the run of ordinary characters starting at
-    /// the current read position, leaving the first special byte for get()
+    /// contiguous input: bulk-append the run of ordinary characters and complete
+    /// well-formed UTF-8 sequences starting at the current read position, leaving
+    /// the first byte that needs individual handling (the closing quote, an
+    /// escape, a control character, or an ill-formed UTF-8 byte) for get()
     void scan_string_bulk(std::true_type /*bulk*/)
     {
         // a pending unget must be consumed through the normal path first
@@ -365,17 +311,18 @@ class lexer : public lexer_base<BasicJsonType>
             return;
         }
         const auto* const data = reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char*>(ia.bulk_data());
-        const std::size_t run = find_string_special(data, remaining);
-        if (run == 0)
+
+        const std::size_t pos = string_bulk_run(data, remaining);
+        if (pos == 0)
         {
             return;
         }
-        token_buffer.append(reinterpret_cast<const typename string_t::value_type*>(data), run);
-        ia.bulk_skip(run);
+        token_buffer.append(reinterpret_cast<const typename string_t::value_type*>(data), pos);
+        ia.bulk_skip(pos);
         // the run contains no newline (all bytes < 0x20 are treated as special),
         // so only the flat character counters advance
-        position.chars_read_total += run;
-        position.chars_read_current_line += run;
+        position.chars_read_total += pos;
+        position.chars_read_current_line += pos;
     }
 
     /// streaming input: no bulk fast path
@@ -1079,216 +1026,6 @@ class lexer : public lexer_base<BasicJsonType>
         f = std::strtold(str, endptr);
     }
 
-    /*!
-    @brief fast integer parser for an already-validated digit sequence
-
-    The scan_number() state machine has already checked that [first, last) is a
-    valid JSON integer, so this only needs to accumulate the digits and detect
-    overflow. This avoids the locale/errno machinery of std::strtoull, which
-    dominates integer-heavy inputs.
-
-    @param[in]  first   pointer to the first character (a digit)
-    @param[in]  last    pointer past the last character
-    @param[out] value   the parsed value on success
-    @return true if the value fit into number_unsigned_t; false on overflow, in
-            which case the caller falls back to floating-point parsing (matching
-            the previous std::strtoull behavior)
-    */
-    static bool parse_integer_unsigned(const char* first, const char* last, number_unsigned_t& value) noexcept
-    {
-        // accumulate in the widest unsigned type used by the previous strtoull
-        // path so the overflow behavior is unchanged for custom number types
-        std::uint64_t x = 0;
-        constexpr std::uint64_t cutoff = (std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max)() / 10u;
-        constexpr std::uint64_t cutlim = (std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max)() % 10u;
-        for (const char* p = first; p != last; ++p)
-        {
-            const auto digit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>(static_cast<unsigned char>(*p) - static_cast<unsigned char>('0'));
-            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(x > cutoff || (x == cutoff && digit > cutlim)))
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-            x = x * 10u + digit;
-        }
-        value = static_cast<number_unsigned_t>(x);
-        // reject values that do not round-trip into a narrower number_unsigned_t
-        return static_cast<std::uint64_t>(value) == x;
-    }
-
-    /*!
-    @brief fast integer parser for an already-validated negative integer
-
-    @param[in]  first   pointer to the leading '-'
-    @param[in]  last    pointer past the last character
-    @param[out] value   the parsed (negative) value on success
-    @return true on success; false on overflow (caller falls back to float)
-    */
-    static bool parse_integer_signed(const char* first, const char* last, number_integer_t& value) noexcept
-    {
-        // the state machine only reaches the signed path via a leading '-'
-        JSON_ASSERT(first != last && *first == '-');
-        std::uint64_t magnitude = 0;
-        // |INT64_MIN| == INT64_MAX + 1; this is the largest admissible magnitude
-        constexpr std::uint64_t limit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>((std::numeric_limits<std::int64_t>::max)()) + 1u;
-        for (const char* p = first + 1; p != last; ++p)
-        {
-            const auto digit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>(static_cast<unsigned char>(*p) - static_cast<unsigned char>('0'));
-            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(magnitude > (limit - digit) / 10u))
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-            magnitude = magnitude * 10u + digit;
-        }
-        const std::int64_t x = (magnitude == limit)
-                               ? (std::numeric_limits<std::int64_t>::min)()
-                               : -static_cast<std::int64_t>(magnitude);
-        value = static_cast<number_integer_t>(x);
-        // reject values that do not round-trip into a narrower number_integer_t
-        return static_cast<std::int64_t>(value) == x;
-    }
-
-    /*!
-    @brief exact fast path for parsing a `double` (Clinger's algorithm)
-
-    For the common case - at most 19 significant digits, a decimal exponent in
-    [-22, 22], and a significand below 2^53 - the value equals significand *
-    10^exp computed in IEEE-754 double arithmetic, which is exact under
-    round-to-nearest because both operands are exactly representable. This is the
-    same fast path used by fast_float/simdjson; the general cases are left to
-    std::strtod. The parser only activates for number_float_t == double; float
-    and long double keep the std::strtof/std::strtold paths (see the templated
-    overload below).
-
-    @param[in]  first   pointer to the first character of the number
-    @param[in]  last    pointer past the last character
-    @param[out] out     the parsed value on success
-    @return true if the value was parsed exactly; false to fall back to strtod
-    */
-    bool parse_float_fast(const char* first, const char* last, double& out) const noexcept
-    {
-        static const double powers_of_ten[] =
-        {
-            1e0, 1e1, 1e2, 1e3, 1e4, 1e5, 1e6, 1e7, 1e8, 1e9, 1e10, 1e11,
-            1e12, 1e13, 1e14, 1e15, 1e16, 1e17, 1e18, 1e19, 1e20, 1e21, 1e22
-        };
-
-        const char* p = first;
-        bool negative = false;
-        if (p != last && (*p == '-' || *p == '+'))
-        {
-            negative = (*p == '-');
-            ++p;
-        }
-
-        std::uint64_t significand = 0;
-        int num_digits = 0;
-        int fractional_digits = 0;
-        bool seen_dot = false;
-        bool any_digit = false;
-        for (; p != last; ++p)
-        {
-            const char c = *p;
-            if (c >= '0' && c <= '9')
-            {
-                any_digit = true;
-                if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(num_digits >= 19))
-                {
-                    return false; // significand may not fit into uint64_t
-                }
-                significand = significand * 10u + static_cast<std::uint64_t>(c - '0');
-                ++num_digits;
-                fractional_digits += static_cast<int>(seen_dot);
-            }
-            else if (static_cast<char_int_type>(c) == decimal_point_char)
-            {
-                if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(seen_dot))
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-                seen_dot = true;
-            }
-            else if (c == 'e' || c == 'E')
-            {
-                ++p;
-                break;
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-        }
-        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(!any_digit))
-        {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        int exponent = 0;
-        if (p != last) // an exponent part remains
-        {
-            bool exp_negative = false;
-            if (p != last && (*p == '-' || *p == '+'))
-            {
-                exp_negative = (*p == '-');
-                ++p;
-            }
-            bool any_exp_digit = false;
-            for (; p != last; ++p)
-            {
-                if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(*p < '0' || *p > '9'))
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-                exponent = exponent * 10 + (*p - '0');
-                any_exp_digit = true;
-                if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(exponent > 9999))
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-            }
-            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(!any_exp_digit))
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-            if (exp_negative)
-            {
-                exponent = -exponent;
-            }
-        }
-
-        const int scale = exponent - fractional_digits;
-        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(significand >= (static_cast<std::uint64_t>(1) << 53)))
-        {
-            return false; // significand not exactly representable as double
-        }
-
-        double result = static_cast<double>(significand);
-        if (scale >= 0)
-        {
-            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(scale > 22))
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-            result *= powers_of_ten[scale];
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(-scale > 22))
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-            result /= powers_of_ten[-scale];
-        }
-        out = negative ? -result : result;
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    /// fast float path is only exact for `double`; decline for float/long double
-    template<typename FloatType>
-    bool parse_float_fast(const char* /*first*/, const char* /*last*/, FloatType& /*out*/) const noexcept
-    {
-        return false;
-    }
-
     /*!
     @brief scan a number literal
 
@@ -1609,12 +1346,26 @@ scan_number_done:
         // we are done scanning a number)
         unget();
 
+        return convert_number(number_type);
+    }
+
+    /*!
+    @brief convert the number text in token_buffer to its value and token type
+
+    The digit sequence in token_buffer has already been validated (by the
+    scan_number() state machine or by the contiguous fast path) and holds the
+    locale decimal point in place of '.'. Integers are parsed first and fall
+    back to floating point on overflow. This is shared so both scanners produce
+    identical results.
+    */
+    token_type convert_number(token_type number_type)
+    {
         const char* const num_begin = token_buffer.data();
         const char* const num_end = num_begin + token_buffer.size();
 
         // try to parse integers first and fall back to floats; the digit
-        // sequence has already been validated by the state machine above, so
-        // a dedicated parser can avoid the locale/errno overhead of strtoull
+        // sequence has already been validated, so a dedicated parser can avoid
+        // the locale/errno overhead of strtoull
         if (number_type == token_type::value_unsigned)
         {
             if (parse_integer_unsigned(num_begin, num_end, value_unsigned))
@@ -1633,7 +1384,7 @@ scan_number_done:
         // this code is reached if we parse a floating-point number or if an
         // integer conversion above overflowed. Try the exact fast path (double
         // only) before falling back to the locale-independent strtof/strtod.
-        if (parse_float_fast(num_begin, num_end, value_float))
+        if (parse_float_fast(num_begin, num_end, decimal_point_char, value_float))
         {
             return token_type::value_float;
         }
@@ -1647,6 +1398,130 @@ scan_number_done:
         return token_type::value_float;
     }
 
+    /*!
+    @brief contiguous fast path for scanning a number
+
+    Parses the whole number token straight from the input buffer, avoiding the
+    per-character get()/add() of scan_number(). On success it fills token_buffer
+    (with the locale decimal point substituted, as scan_number() does) and
+    returns the token type. On anything it does not fully recognize as a
+    well-formed number it makes no state change and returns
+    token_type::uninitialized, so the caller falls back to scan_number(), which
+    then produces the exact diagnostic. @a current is the first digit or the
+    leading minus (already read); the remaining bytes are taken from the adapter.
+    */
+    token_type scan_number_bulk_contiguous()
+    {
+        // a pending unget offsets the buffer position from current; fall back
+        if (next_unget)
+        {
+            return token_type::uninitialized;
+        }
+        const std::size_t rem = ia.bulk_remaining();
+        if (rem == 0)
+        {
+            // the first digit is the last input byte; let scan_number() finish
+            return token_type::uninitialized;
+        }
+        // the byte before the next unread one is current (contiguous input)
+        const char* const data = reinterpret_cast<const char*>(ia.bulk_data()) - 1;
+        const std::size_t avail = rem + 1;
+
+        // validate + classify the number extent (mirrors scan_number()'s grammar)
+        std::size_t i = 0;
+        std::size_t dot_index = std::string::npos;
+        token_type number_type = token_type::value_unsigned;
+        if (data[0] == '-')
+        {
+            number_type = token_type::value_integer;
+            i = 1;
+            if (i >= avail)
+            {
+                return token_type::uninitialized;
+            }
+        }
+        if (data[i] == '0')
+        {
+            ++i;
+        }
+        else if (data[i] >= '1' && data[i] <= '9')
+        {
+            ++i;
+            while (i < avail && data[i] >= '0' && data[i] <= '9')
+            {
+                ++i;
+            }
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            return token_type::uninitialized;
+        }
+        if (i < avail && data[i] == '.')
+        {
+            number_type = token_type::value_float;
+            dot_index = i;
+            ++i;
+            if (i >= avail || !(data[i] >= '0' && data[i] <= '9'))
+            {
+                return token_type::uninitialized;
+            }
+            while (i < avail && data[i] >= '0' && data[i] <= '9')
+            {
+                ++i;
+            }
+        }
+        if (i < avail && (data[i] == 'e' || data[i] == 'E'))
+        {
+            number_type = token_type::value_float;
+            ++i;
+            if (i < avail && (data[i] == '+' || data[i] == '-'))
+            {
+                ++i;
+            }
+            if (i >= avail || !(data[i] >= '0' && data[i] <= '9'))
+            {
+                return token_type::uninitialized;
+            }
+            while (i < avail && data[i] >= '0' && data[i] <= '9')
+            {
+                ++i;
+            }
+        }
+        const std::size_t len = i;
+
+        // materialize the token exactly as scan_number() would, substituting the
+        // locale decimal point so convert_number()'s strtof fallback stays valid.
+        // reset() already cleared token_buffer, so append() fills it (assign() is
+        // avoided because custom string_t types need not provide it)
+        reset();
+        token_buffer.append(reinterpret_cast<const typename string_t::value_type*>(data), len);
+        if (dot_index != std::string::npos)
+        {
+            token_buffer[dot_index] = static_cast<typename string_t::value_type>(decimal_point_char);
+            decimal_point_position = dot_index;
+        }
+
+        // consume the remaining bytes of the number (current was already read)
+        ia.bulk_skip(len - 1);
+        position.chars_read_total += (len - 1);
+        position.chars_read_current_line += (len - 1);
+
+        return convert_number(number_type);
+    }
+
+    /// contiguous input: try the number fast path, else the byte-path scanner
+    token_type scan_number_dispatch(std::true_type /*bulk*/)
+    {
+        const token_type t = scan_number_bulk_contiguous();
+        return (t != token_type::uninitialized) ? t : scan_number();
+    }
+
+    /// streaming input: always use the byte-path scanner
+    token_type scan_number_dispatch(std::false_type /*bulk*/)
+    {
+        return scan_number();
+    }
+
     /*!
     @param[in] literal_text  the literal text to expect
     @param[in] length        the length of the passed literal text
@@ -2001,7 +1876,7 @@ scan_number_done:
             case '7':
             case '8':
             case '9':
-                return scan_number();
+                return scan_number_dispatch(std::integral_constant<bool, bulk_scan> {});
 
             // end of input (the null byte is needed when parsing from
             // string literals)

include/nlohmann/detail/input/number_parse.hpp

@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <array> // array
+#include <cstddef> // size_t
+#include <cstdint> // int64_t, uint64_t
+#include <limits> // numeric_limits
+
+#include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp>
+
+// This file contains the value-conversion helpers used by the lexer to turn an
+// already-validated number token into a value, without the locale/errno
+// overhead of std::strtoull/std::strtod. They are free functions so the lexer
+// stays focused on scanning; see lexer::convert_number().
+
+NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
+namespace detail
+{
+
+/*!
+@brief fast integer parser for an already-validated unsigned integer
+
+The number scanner has already checked that [first, last) is a valid JSON
+integer, so this only needs to accumulate the digits and detect overflow. This
+avoids the locale/errno machinery of std::strtoull, which dominates
+integer-heavy inputs.
+
+@param[in]  first   pointer to the first character (a digit)
+@param[in]  last    pointer past the last character
+@param[out] value   the parsed value on success
+@return true if the value fit into @a NumberUnsignedType; false on overflow, in
+        which case the caller falls back to floating-point parsing (matching the
+        previous std::strtoull behavior)
+*/
+template<typename NumberUnsignedType>
+bool parse_integer_unsigned(const char* first, const char* last, NumberUnsignedType& value) noexcept
+{
+    // accumulate in the widest unsigned type used by the previous strtoull
+    // path so the overflow behavior is unchanged for custom number types
+    std::uint64_t x = 0;
+    constexpr std::uint64_t cutoff = (std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max)() / 10u;
+    constexpr std::uint64_t cutlim = (std::numeric_limits<std::uint64_t>::max)() % 10u;
+    for (const char* p = first; p != last; ++p)
+    {
+        const auto digit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>(static_cast<unsigned char>(*p) - static_cast<unsigned char>('0'));
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(x > cutoff || (x == cutoff && digit > cutlim)))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+        x = x * 10u + digit;
+    }
+    value = static_cast<NumberUnsignedType>(x);
+    // reject values that do not round-trip into a narrower NumberUnsignedType
+    return static_cast<std::uint64_t>(value) == x;
+}
+
+/*!
+@brief fast integer parser for an already-validated negative integer
+
+@param[in]  first   pointer to the leading '-'
+@param[in]  last    pointer past the last character
+@param[out] value   the parsed (negative) value on success
+@return true on success; false on overflow (caller falls back to float)
+*/
+template<typename NumberIntegerType>
+bool parse_integer_signed(const char* first, const char* last, NumberIntegerType& value) noexcept
+{
+    // the state machine only reaches the signed path via a leading '-'
+    JSON_ASSERT(first != last && *first == '-');
+    std::uint64_t magnitude = 0;
+    // |INT64_MIN| == INT64_MAX + 1; this is the largest admissible magnitude
+    constexpr std::uint64_t limit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>((std::numeric_limits<std::int64_t>::max)()) + 1u;
+    for (const char* p = first + 1; p != last; ++p)
+    {
+        const auto digit = static_cast<std::uint64_t>(static_cast<unsigned char>(*p) - static_cast<unsigned char>('0'));
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(magnitude > (limit - digit) / 10u))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+        magnitude = magnitude * 10u + digit;
+    }
+    const std::int64_t x = (magnitude == limit)
+                           ? (std::numeric_limits<std::int64_t>::min)()
+                           : -static_cast<std::int64_t>(magnitude);
+    value = static_cast<NumberIntegerType>(x);
+    // reject values that do not round-trip into a narrower NumberIntegerType
+    return static_cast<std::int64_t>(value) == x;
+}
+
+/*!
+@brief exact fast path for parsing a `double` (Clinger's algorithm)
+
+For the common case - at most 19 significant digits, a decimal exponent in
+[-22, 22], and a significand below 2^53 - the value equals significand *
+10^exp computed in IEEE-754 double arithmetic, which is exact under
+round-to-nearest because both operands are exactly representable. This is the
+same fast path used by fast_float/simdjson; the general cases are left to
+std::strtod. The parser only activates for number_float_t == double; float and
+long double keep the std::strtof/std::strtold paths (see the templated overload
+below).
+
+@param[in]  first          pointer to the first character of the number
+@param[in]  last           pointer past the last character
+@param[in]  decimal_point  the (locale-dependent) decimal point character
+@param[out] out            the parsed value on success
+@return true if the value was parsed exactly; false to fall back to strtod
+*/
+template<typename DecimalPointType>
+bool parse_float_fast(const char* first, const char* last, DecimalPointType decimal_point, double& out) noexcept
+{
+    static const std::array<double, 23> powers_of_ten =
+    {
+        {
+            1e0, 1e1, 1e2, 1e3, 1e4, 1e5, 1e6, 1e7, 1e8, 1e9, 1e10, 1e11,
+            1e12, 1e13, 1e14, 1e15, 1e16, 1e17, 1e18, 1e19, 1e20, 1e21, 1e22
+        }
+    };
+
+    const char* p = first;
+    bool negative = false;
+    if (p != last && (*p == '-' || *p == '+'))
+    {
+        negative = (*p == '-');
+        ++p;
+    }
+
+    std::uint64_t significand = 0;
+    int num_digits = 0;
+    int fractional_digits = 0;
+    bool seen_dot = false;
+    bool any_digit = false;
+    for (; p != last; ++p)
+    {
+        const char c = *p;
+        if (c >= '0' && c <= '9')
+        {
+            any_digit = true;
+            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(num_digits >= 19))
+            {
+                return false; // significand may not fit into uint64_t
+            }
+            significand = significand * 10u + static_cast<std::uint64_t>(c - '0');
+            ++num_digits;
+            fractional_digits += static_cast<int>(seen_dot);
+        }
+        else if (static_cast<DecimalPointType>(c) == decimal_point)
+        {
+            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(seen_dot))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+            seen_dot = true;
+        }
+        else if (c == 'e' || c == 'E')
+        {
+            ++p;
+            break;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+    if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(!any_digit))
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    int exponent = 0;
+    if (p != last) // an exponent part remains
+    {
+        bool exp_negative = false;
+        if (p != last && (*p == '-' || *p == '+'))
+        {
+            exp_negative = (*p == '-');
+            ++p;
+        }
+        bool any_exp_digit = false;
+        for (; p != last; ++p)
+        {
+            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(*p < '0' || *p > '9'))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+            exponent = exponent * 10 + (*p - '0');
+            any_exp_digit = true;
+            if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(exponent > 9999))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(!any_exp_digit))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+        if (exp_negative)
+        {
+            exponent = -exponent;
+        }
+    }
+
+    const int scale = exponent - fractional_digits;
+    if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(significand >= (static_cast<std::uint64_t>(1) << 53)))
+    {
+        return false; // significand not exactly representable as double
+    }
+
+    auto result = static_cast<double>(significand);
+    if (scale >= 0)
+    {
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(scale > 22))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+        result *= powers_of_ten[static_cast<std::size_t>(scale)];
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(-scale > 22))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+        result /= powers_of_ten[static_cast<std::size_t>(-scale)];
+    }
+    out = negative ? -result : result;
+    return true;
+}
+
+/// fast float path is only exact for `double`; decline for float/long double
+template<typename DecimalPointType, typename FloatType>
+bool parse_float_fast(const char* /*first*/, const char* /*last*/, DecimalPointType /*decimal_point*/, FloatType& /*out*/) noexcept
+{
+    return false;
+}
+
+}  // namespace detail
+NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END

include/nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp

@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstddef> // size_t
+#include <cstdint> // uint64_t
+#include <cstring> // memcpy
+
+#if defined(JSON_USE_SIMDUTF)
+    // Optional SIMD backend for bulk UTF-8 validation. This is an opt-in
+    // external dependency: nlohmann/json itself stays header-only and the C++11
+    // scalar validator below is always available; defining JSON_USE_SIMDUTF
+    // additionally requires the simdutf headers on the include path and linking
+    // the simdutf library. See string_bulk_run().
+    #include <simdutf.h>
+#endif
+
+#include <nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp>
+
+// This file contains the byte-level string-scanning helpers used by the lexer's
+// contiguous fast path. They operate purely on raw bytes (no dependency on the
+// lexer's template parameters) so they are free functions, keeping the lexer
+// itself focused on the state machine; see lexer::scan_string_bulk().
+
+NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
+namespace detail
+{
+
+// classify a single byte as needing individual string handling: the closing
+// quote, an escape, a control character, or a non-ASCII (UTF-8)
+// lead/continuation byte. Ordinary bytes (0x20..0x7F except '"' and '\\') are
+// copied verbatim, which the bulk scanner does 8 bytes at a time.
+inline bool is_string_special(unsigned char c) noexcept
+{
+    return c == '\"' || c == '\\' || c < 0x20u || c >= 0x80u;
+}
+
+// SWAR helper: return a word whose high bit is set in every byte of @a v that
+// is_string_special(); zero if the 8 bytes are all ordinary.
+inline std::uint64_t swar_string_special(std::uint64_t v) noexcept
+{
+    constexpr std::uint64_t ones = 0x0101010101010101ull;
+    constexpr std::uint64_t high = 0x8080808080808080ull;
+    const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
+    const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
+    const std::uint64_t has_quote     = (q - ones) & ~q & high;
+    const std::uint64_t has_backslash = (b - ones) & ~b & high;
+    const std::uint64_t has_control   = (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high; // < 0x20
+    const std::uint64_t has_non_ascii = v & high;                                // >= 0x80
+    return has_quote | has_backslash | has_control | has_non_ascii;
+}
+
+// return the index of the first is_string_special() byte in [data, data+n), or
+// n if every byte is ordinary; scans 8 bytes at a time
+inline std::size_t find_string_special(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t n) noexcept
+{
+    std::size_t i = 0;
+    for (; i + 8 <= n; i += 8)
+    {
+        std::uint64_t word = 0;
+        std::memcpy(&word, data + i, sizeof(word));
+        if (swar_string_special(word) != 0)
+        {
+            // a special byte is in this word; locate it (endian-agnostic)
+            for (std::size_t j = 0; j < 8; ++j)
+            {
+                if (is_string_special(data[i + j]))
+                {
+                    return i + j;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    for (; i < n; ++i)
+    {
+        if (is_string_special(data[i]))
+        {
+            return i;
+        }
+    }
+    return n;
+}
+
+// Validate one UTF-8 sequence at the front of [data, data+avail). Returns its
+// length (2..4) only when the bytes form a *well-formed* sequence using exactly
+// the same ranges as scan_string()'s per-byte switch, so the bulk path accepts
+// precisely what the byte path accepts. Returns 0 for anything that is invalid,
+// incomplete, or that the byte path must diagnose (the caller then defers to
+// that path, keeping error messages unchanged). Lead bytes < 0x80 are handled
+// by the caller and never passed here.
+inline std::size_t validate_one_utf8(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t avail) noexcept
+{
+    const unsigned char c0 = data[0];
+    if (c0 >= 0xC2 && c0 <= 0xDF)  // U+0080..U+07FF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 2 && data[1] >= 0x80 && data[1] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 2;
+        }
+    }
+    else if (c0 == 0xE0)  // U+0800..U+0FFF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 3 && data[1] >= 0xA0 && data[1] <= 0xBF && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 3;
+        }
+    }
+    else if ((c0 >= 0xE1 && c0 <= 0xEC) || c0 == 0xEE || c0 == 0xEF)  // U+1000..U+CFFF, U+E000..U+FFFF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 3 && data[1] >= 0x80 && data[1] <= 0xBF && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 3;
+        }
+    }
+    else if (c0 == 0xED)  // U+D000..U+D7FF (excludes surrogates)
+    {
+        if (avail >= 3 && data[1] >= 0x80 && data[1] <= 0x9F && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 3;
+        }
+    }
+    else if (c0 == 0xF0)  // U+10000..U+3FFFF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 4 && data[1] >= 0x90 && data[1] <= 0xBF && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF && data[3] >= 0x80 && data[3] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 4;
+        }
+    }
+    else if (c0 >= 0xF1 && c0 <= 0xF3)  // U+40000..U+FFFFF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 4 && data[1] >= 0x80 && data[1] <= 0xBF && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF && data[3] >= 0x80 && data[3] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 4;
+        }
+    }
+    else if (c0 == 0xF4)  // U+100000..U+10FFFF
+    {
+        if (avail >= 4 && data[1] >= 0x80 && data[1] <= 0x8F && data[2] >= 0x80 && data[2] <= 0xBF && data[3] >= 0x80 && data[3] <= 0xBF)
+        {
+            return 4;
+        }
+    }
+    return 0; // invalid, incomplete, or must be diagnosed by the byte path
+}
+
+// Scalar (C++11) computation of the bulk run length: the number of leading
+// bytes in [data, data+n) that are ordinary ASCII or complete well-formed UTF-8
+// sequences, stopping before the first byte that needs individual handling (the
+// closing quote, an escape, a control character, or an ill-formed/truncated
+// sequence). ASCII is skipped 8 bytes at a time.
+inline std::size_t scalar_string_bulk_run(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t n) noexcept
+{
+    std::size_t pos = 0;
+    while (pos < n)
+    {
+        pos += find_string_special(data + pos, n - pos);
+        if (pos >= n || data[pos] < 0x80u)
+        {
+            break; // end of buffer, or a quote/escape/control byte
+        }
+        const std::size_t seq = validate_one_utf8(data + pos, n - pos);
+        if (seq == 0)
+        {
+            break; // ill-formed or truncated: let the byte path diagnose it
+        }
+        pos += seq;
+    }
+    return pos;
+}
+
+#if defined(JSON_USE_SIMDUTF)
+// Index of the first quote/escape/control byte in [data, data+n) (non-ASCII
+// bytes are *not* stops here - the whole run is handed to simdutf), or n.
+inline std::size_t find_string_delimiter(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t n) noexcept
+{
+    constexpr std::uint64_t ones = 0x0101010101010101ull;
+    constexpr std::uint64_t high = 0x8080808080808080ull;
+    std::size_t i = 0;
+    for (; i + 8 <= n; i += 8)
+    {
+        std::uint64_t v = 0;
+        std::memcpy(&v, data + i, sizeof(v));
+        const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull;
+        const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull;
+        const std::uint64_t hit = ((q - ones) & ~q & high)
+                                  | ((b - ones) & ~b & high)
+                                  | ((v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high);
+        if (hit != 0)
+        {
+            for (std::size_t j = 0; j < 8; ++j)
+            {
+                const unsigned char c = data[i + j];
+                if (c == '\"' || c == '\\' || c < 0x20u)
+                {
+                    return i + j;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    for (; i < n; ++i)
+    {
+        const unsigned char c = data[i];
+        if (c == '\"' || c == '\\' || c < 0x20u)
+        {
+            return i;
+        }
+    }
+    return n;
+}
+#endif
+
+// Backend-dispatched bulk run length. With JSON_USE_SIMDUTF the run up to the
+// next delimiter is validated in one shot by simdutf; on the rare failure the
+// scalar helper recomputes the exact valid prefix so the byte path still
+// produces the precise diagnostic. Without it, the pure scalar path is used.
+inline std::size_t string_bulk_run(const unsigned char* data, std::size_t n) noexcept
+{
+#if defined(JSON_USE_SIMDUTF)
+    const std::size_t run = find_string_delimiter(data, n);
+    if (run != 0 && simdutf::validate_utf8(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(data), run))
+    {
+        return run;
+    }
+    return scalar_string_bulk_run(data, n);
+#else
+    return scalar_string_bulk_run(data, n);
+#endif
+}
+
+}  // namespace detail
+NLOHMANN_JSON_NAMESPACE_END

tests/src/unit-class_lexer.cpp

@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
 using nlohmann::json;
 
+#include <sstream> // stringstream
+#include <string> // string
+#include <vector> // vector
+
 namespace
 {
 // shortcut to scan a string literal
@@ -224,3 +228,71 @@ TEST_CASE("lexer class")
         CHECK((scan_string("/**//**//**/", true) == json::lexer::token_type::end_of_input));
     }
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("lexer number fast path")
+{
+    // The contiguous fast path (used for pointer/string input) must agree with
+    // the streaming byte path (used for std::istream) on token type, numeric
+    // value, and round-trip text for every well-formed number, and reject the
+    // same malformed numbers with the same message.
+    SECTION("contiguous vs streaming parity")
+    {
+        const std::vector<std::string> numbers =
+        {
+            "0", "-0", "1", "-1", "42", "-42", "10", "100", "1234567890",
+            "0.0", "-0.0", "3.14", "-3.14", "0.5", "-0.001", "123.456789",
+            "1e0", "1E0", "1e10", "1e-10", "1e+10", "1.5e3", "-2.5E-4",
+            "9223372036854775807",             // INT64_MAX -> unsigned
+            "9223372036854775808",             // INT64_MAX + 1 -> unsigned
+            "18446744073709551615",            // UINT64_MAX -> unsigned
+            "18446744073709551616",            // UINT64_MAX + 1 -> float
+            "-9223372036854775808",            // INT64_MIN -> integer
+            "-9223372036854775809",            // INT64_MIN - 1 -> float
+            "123456789012345678901234567890",  // huge -> float
+            "0.30000000000000004", "2.2250738585072014e-308", "1e308"
+        };
+
+        for (const auto& n : numbers)
+        {
+            const std::string doc = "[" + n + "]";
+
+            // contiguous fast path
+            const json a = json::parse(doc);
+            // streaming byte path
+            std::stringstream ss(doc);
+            const json b = json::parse(ss);
+
+            CAPTURE(n);
+            CHECK(a == b);
+            CHECK(a.dump() == b.dump());
+            CHECK(a[0].type() == b[0].type());
+        }
+    }
+
+    SECTION("token type classification")
+    {
+        CHECK((scan_string("0") == json::lexer::token_type::value_unsigned));
+        CHECK((scan_string("-1") == json::lexer::token_type::value_integer));
+        CHECK((scan_string("1.5") == json::lexer::token_type::value_float));
+        CHECK((scan_string("1e5") == json::lexer::token_type::value_float));
+        CHECK((scan_string("18446744073709551615") == json::lexer::token_type::value_unsigned));
+        CHECK((scan_string("18446744073709551616") == json::lexer::token_type::value_float));
+        CHECK((scan_string("-9223372036854775808") == json::lexer::token_type::value_integer));
+        CHECK((scan_string("-9223372036854775809") == json::lexer::token_type::value_float));
+    }
+
+    SECTION("malformed numbers are rejected identically")
+    {
+        for (const char* bad :
+                {"-", "1.", "1e", "1e+", "1.2e", "01", "-01", "1..2", "1.2.3"
+                })
+        {
+            CAPTURE(bad);
+            // the contiguous fast path must decline and let the byte path report
+            const std::string doc = std::string("[") + bad + "]";
+            CHECK_FALSE(json::accept(doc));
+            std::stringstream ss(doc);
+            CHECK_FALSE(json::accept(ss));
+        }
+    }
+}