diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 5c809d7..974e23a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ add_library(nlohmann_json_schema_validator
     src/json-schema-draft7.json.cpp
     src/json-uri.cpp
     src/json-validator.cpp
+    src/json_patch.cpp
     src/string-format-check.cpp)
 
 target_include_directories(nlohmann_json_schema_validator
diff --git a/app/readme.cpp b/app/readme.cpp
index 863cd07..9e9f5d4 100644
--- a/app/readme.cpp
+++ b/app/readme.cpp
@@ -10,41 +10,65 @@ using nlohmann::json_schema::json_validator;
 static json person_schema = R"(
 {
     "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
-    "title": "A person",
-    "properties": {
-        "name": {
-            "description": "Name",
-            "type": "string"
-        },
-        "age": {
-            "description": "Age of the person",
-            "type": "number",
-            "minimum": 2,
-            "maximum": 200
-        },
-				"address":{
-					"type": "object",
-					"properties":{
-						"street":{
-							"type": "string",
-							"default": "Abbey Road"
+		"title": "Dict",
+		"type": "array",
+		"items": {
+			"title": "A person",
+			"properties": {
+					"name": {
+							"description": "Name",
+							"type": "string"
+					},
+					"age": {
+							"description": "Age of the person",
+							"type": "number",
+							"minimum": 2,
+							"maximum": 200
+					},
+					"address":{
+						"type": "object",
+						"properties":{
+							"street":{
+								"type": "string",
+								"default": "Abbey Road"
+							}
 						}
 					}
-				}
-    },
-    "required": [
-                 "name",
-                 "age"
-                 ],
-    "type": "object"
-}
-
+				},
+				"required": [
+									"name",
+									"age"
+									],
+				"type": "object"
+			}
+		}
 )"_json;
 
 // The people are defined with brace initialization
-static json bad_person = {{"age", 42}};
-static json good_person = {{"name", "Albert"}, {"age", 42}, {"address", {{"street", "Main Street"}}}};
-static json good_defaulted_person = {{"name", "Knut"}, {"age", 69}, {"address", {}}};
+static json bad_person = R"([
+	{"age": 42}
+	])"_json;
+
+static json good_person = R"([
+	{
+		"name": "Albert",
+		"age": 42,
+		"address": {"street": "Main Street"}
+	}
+])"_json;
+
+static json good_defaulted_person = R"([
+	{
+		"name": "Albert",
+		"age": 42,
+		"address": {"street": "Main Street"}
+	},
+	{
+		"name": "Knut",
+		"age": 69,
+		"address": {}
+	}
+])"_json;
 
 int main()
 {
diff --git a/src/json-validator.cpp b/src/json-validator.cpp
index 9a17640..bb4d6f5 100644
--- a/src/json-validator.cpp
+++ b/src/json-validator.cpp
@@ -8,11 +8,14 @@
  */
 #include <nlohmann/json-schema.hpp>
 
+#include "json_patch.hpp"
+
 #include <memory>
 #include <set>
 #include <sstream>
 
 using nlohmann::json;
+using nlohmann::json_patch;
 using nlohmann::json_uri;
 using nlohmann::json_schema::root_schema;
 using namespace nlohmann::json_schema;
@@ -43,7 +46,7 @@ public:
 	schema(root_schema *root)
 	    : root_(root) {}
 
-	virtual void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const = 0;
+	virtual void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const = 0;
 
 	virtual const json &defaultValue(const json::json_pointer &, const json &, error_handler &) const
 	{
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ class schema_ref : public schema
 	const std::string id_;
 	std::shared_ptr<schema> target_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const final
 	{
 		if (target_)
 			target_->validate(ptr, instance, patch, e);
@@ -227,7 +230,7 @@ public:
 		} while (1);
 	}
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const final
 	{
 		if (root_)
 			root_->validate(ptr, instance, patch, e);
@@ -277,7 +280,7 @@ class logical_not : public schema
 {
 	std::shared_ptr<schema> subschema_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const final
 	{
 		first_error_handler esub;
 		subschema_->validate(ptr, instance, patch, esub);
@@ -312,7 +315,7 @@ class logical_combination : public schema
 {
 	std::vector<std::shared_ptr<schema>> subschemata_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const final
 	{
 		size_t count = 0;
 
@@ -400,7 +403,7 @@ class type_schema : public schema
 		return defaultValue_;
 	}
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const override final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const override final
 	{
 		// depending on the type of instance run the type specific validator - if present
 		auto type = type_[(uint8_t) instance.type()];
@@ -587,7 +590,7 @@ class string : public schema
 		return len;
 	}
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		if (minLength_.first) {
 			if (utf8_length(instance) < minLength_.second) {
@@ -677,7 +680,7 @@ class numeric : public schema
 		return std::fabs(res) > std::fabs(eps);
 	}
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		T value = instance; // conversion of json to value_type
 
@@ -736,7 +739,7 @@ public:
 
 class null : public schema
 {
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		if (!instance.is_null())
 			e.error(ptr, instance, "expected to be null");
@@ -749,7 +752,7 @@ public:
 
 class boolean_type : public schema
 {
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &, const json &, json &, error_handler &) const override {}
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &, const json &, json_patch &, error_handler &) const override {}
 
 public:
 	boolean_type(json &, root_schema *root)
@@ -759,7 +762,7 @@ public:
 class boolean : public schema
 {
 	bool true_;
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		if (!true_) { // false schema
 			// empty array
@@ -783,7 +786,7 @@ class required : public schema
 {
 	const std::vector<std::string> required_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &, error_handler &e) const override final
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &, error_handler &e) const override final
 	{
 		for (auto &r : required_)
 			if (instance.find(r) == instance.end())
@@ -811,7 +814,7 @@ class object : public schema
 
 	std::shared_ptr<schema> propertyNames_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		if (maxProperties_.first && instance.size() > maxProperties_.second)
 			e.error(ptr, instance, "too many properties");
@@ -860,7 +863,7 @@ class object : public schema
 			if (instance.end() == finding) { // if the prop is not in the instance
 				const auto &defaultValue = prop.second->defaultValue(ptr, instance, e);
 				if (!defaultValue.empty()) { // if default value is available
-					patch[ptr / prop.first] = defaultValue;
+					patch.add((ptr / prop.first), defaultValue);
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -963,7 +966,7 @@ class array : public schema
 
 	std::shared_ptr<schema> contains_;
 
-	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json &patch, error_handler &e) const override
+	void validate(const json::json_pointer &ptr, const json &instance, json_patch &patch, error_handler &e) const override
 	{
 		if (maxItems_.first && instance.size() > maxItems_.second)
 			e.error(ptr, instance, "array has too many items");
@@ -1224,9 +1227,9 @@ json json_validator::validate(const json &instance) const
 json json_validator::validate(const json &instance, error_handler &err) const
 {
 	json::json_pointer ptr;
-	json mergePatch{};
-	root_->validate(ptr, instance, mergePatch, err);
-	return mergePatch;
+	json_patch patch{};
+	root_->validate(ptr, instance, patch, err);
+	return patch;
 }
 
 } // namespace json_schema
diff --git a/src/json_patch.cpp b/src/json_patch.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3387697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/json_patch.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#include "json_patch.hpp"
+
+namespace nlohmann
+{
+
+json_patch::json_patch()
+    : j_{R"([])"_json} {}
+
+json_patch::json_patch(json &&patch)
+    : j_{std::move(patch)}
+{
+	validateJsonPatch(j_);
+}
+
+json_patch::json_patch(const json &patch)
+    : j_{std::move(patch)}
+{
+	validateJsonPatch(j_);
+}
+
+json_patch &json_patch::add(std::string path, json value)
+{
+	j_.push_back(json{{"op", "add"}, {"path", std::move(path)}, {"value", std::move(value)}});
+	return *this;
+}
+
+json_patch &json_patch::replace(std::string path, json value)
+{
+	j_.push_back(json{{"op", "replace"}, {"path", std::move(path)}, {"value", std::move(value)}});
+	return *this;
+}
+
+json_patch &json_patch::remove(std::string path)
+{
+	j_.push_back(json{{"op", "remove"}, {"path", std::move(path)}});
+	return *this;
+}
+
+void json_patch::validateJsonPatch(json const &patch)
+{
+	if (!patch.is_array()) {
+		throw JsonPatchFormatException{"Json is not an array"};
+	}
+
+	for (auto const &op : patch) {
+		if (!op.is_object()) {
+			throw JsonPatchFormatException{"Each json patch entry needs to be an op object"};
+		}
+
+		if (!op.contains("op")) {
+			throw JsonPatchFormatException{"Each json patch entry needs op element"};
+		}
+
+		const auto opType = op["op"].get<std::string>();
+		if ((opType != "add") && (opType != "remove") && (opType != "replace")) {
+			throw JsonPatchFormatException{std::string{"Operation "} + opType + std::string{"is invalid"}};
+		}
+
+		if (!op.contains("path")) {
+			throw JsonPatchFormatException{"Each json patch entry needs path element"};
+		}
+
+		try {
+			// try parse to path
+			[[maybe_unused]] const auto p = json::json_pointer{op["path"].get<std::string>()};
+		} catch (json::exception &e) {
+			throw JsonPatchFormatException{e.what()};
+		}
+
+		if (opType != "remove") {
+			if (!op.contains("value")) {
+				throw JsonPatchFormatException{"Remove and replace needs value element"};
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+} // namespace nlohmann
diff --git a/src/json_patch.hpp b/src/json_patch.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6453297
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/json_patch.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+#include <string>
+
+namespace nlohmann
+{
+class JsonPatchFormatException : public std::exception
+{
+public:
+	explicit JsonPatchFormatException(std::string msg)
+	    : ex_{std::move(msg)} {}
+
+	inline const char *what() const noexcept override final { return ex_.c_str(); }
+
+private:
+	std::string ex_;
+};
+
+class json_patch
+{
+public:
+	json_patch();
+	json_patch(json &&patch);
+	json_patch(const json &patch);
+
+	json_patch &add(std::string path, json value);
+	json_patch &replace(std::string path, json value);
+	json_patch &remove(std::string path);
+
+	operator json() const { return j_; }
+
+private:
+	json j_;
+
+	static void validateJsonPatch(json const &patch);
+};
+} // namespace nlohmann