In Python, what is the difference between json.load() and json.loads()?
I guess that the load() function must be used with a file object (I need thus to use a context manager) while the loads() function take the path to the file as a string. It is a bit confusing.
Does the letter "s" in json.loads() stand for string?
Yes, s stands for string. The json.loads function does not take the file path, but the file contents as a string. Look at the documentation.
Simple example:
with open("file.json") as f:
data = json.load(f) # ok
data = json.loads(f) # not ok, f is not a string but a file
text = '{"a": 1, "b": 2}' # a string with json encoded data
data = json.loads(text)