diff --git a/collects/json/json.scrbl b/collects/json/json.scrbl
index 6072aad6b4..450508ba85 100644
--- a/collects/json/json.scrbl
+++ b/collects/json/json.scrbl
@@ -68,6 +68,13 @@ the @rfc for more information about JSON.
          string?]{
   Generates a JSON source string for the @tech{jsexpr} @racket[x].}
 
+@defproc[(jsexpr->bytes [x jsexpr?]
+                        [#:null jsnull any? (json-null)]
+                        [#:encode encode (or/c 'control 'all) 'control])
+         bytes?]{
+  Generates a JSON source byte string for the @tech{jsexpr} @racket[x].
+  (The byte string is encoded in UTF-8.)}
+
 @section{Parsing JSON Text into JS-Expressions}
 
 @defproc[(read-json [in input-port? (current-input-port)]
@@ -80,6 +87,10 @@ the @rfc for more information about JSON.
          jsexpr?]{
   Parses the JSON string @racket[str] as an immutable @tech{jsexpr}.}
 
+@defproc[(bytes->jsexpr [str bytes?] [#:null jsnull any? (json-null)])
+         jsexpr?]{
+  Parses the JSON bytes string @racket[str] as an immutable @tech{jsexpr}.}
+
 @section{A word about design}
 
 JSON syntactically distinguishes ``@tt{null}'', array literals, and
diff --git a/collects/json/main.rkt b/collects/json/main.rkt
index 37981b9131..850b74a220 100644
--- a/collects/json/main.rkt
+++ b/collects/json/main.rkt
@@ -178,12 +178,20 @@
 ;; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;; Convenience functions
 
-(provide jsexpr->string)
+(provide jsexpr->string jsexpr->bytes)
 (define (jsexpr->string x #:null [jsnull (json-null)] #:encode [enc 'control])
   (define o (open-output-string))
   (write-json x o #:null jsnull #:encode enc)
   (get-output-string o))
+(define (jsexpr->bytes x #:null [jsnull (json-null)] #:encode [enc 'control])
+  (define o (open-output-bytes))
+  (write-json x o #:null jsnull #:encode enc)
+  (get-output-bytes o))
 
-(provide string->jsexpr)
+(provide string->jsexpr bytes->jsexpr)
 (define (string->jsexpr str #:null [jsnull (json-null)])
+  (unless (string? str) (raise-type-error 'string->jsexpr "string" str))
   (read-json (open-input-string str) #:null jsnull))
+(define (bytes->jsexpr str #:null [jsnull (json-null)])
+  (unless (bytes? str) (raise-type-error 'bytes->jsexpr "bytes" str))
+  (read-json (open-input-bytes str) #:null jsnull))
diff --git a/collects/meta/dist-specs.rkt b/collects/meta/dist-specs.rkt
index 1cfce929e2..369fbb025f 100644
--- a/collects/meta/dist-specs.rkt
+++ b/collects/meta/dist-specs.rkt
@@ -534,6 +534,9 @@ mz-extras :+= (- (package: "xml/")
                  (cond* (not plt) => (srcfile: "*-{tool|snipclass}.rkt"
                                                "xml.png")))
 
+;; -------------------- json
+mz-extras :+= (package: "json/")
+
 ;; -------------------- ffi
 mz-extras :+= (collects: "ffi/") (doc: "objc")