diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3b24bbb0b..22429df54 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ apt-get install postgresql-server-dev-9.3
 ```
 * Install required Perl modules:
 ```
-cpanm JSON
+cpanm JSON::PP
 cpanm Net::OpenSSH
 cpanm IPC::System::Simple
 cpanm Digest::SHA
@@ -731,7 +731,7 @@ example: db-path=/data/db
 
 ### v0.75: IN DEVELOPMENT: enterprise features: monitoring, throttling, retention period
 
-* 
+*
 
 ### v0.65: Improved resume and restore logging, compact restores
 
diff --git a/doc/doc.xml b/doc/doc.xml
index 0b356060b..376ba82b6 100644
--- a/doc/doc.xml
+++ b/doc/doc.xml
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
 					</code-block>
 					* Install required Perl modules:
 					<code-block>
-						cpanm JSON
+						cpanm JSON::PP
 						cpanm Net::OpenSSH
 						cpanm IPC::System::Simple
 						cpanm Digest::SHA
diff --git a/lib/BackRest/Utility.pm b/lib/BackRest/Utility.pm
index 3f436a525..06e23b0bb 100644
--- a/lib/BackRest/Utility.pm
+++ b/lib/BackRest/Utility.pm
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ use Time::HiRes qw(gettimeofday usleep);
 use POSIX qw(ceil);
 use File::Basename;
 use Cwd qw(abs_path);
-use JSON;
+use JSON::PP;
 
 use lib dirname($0) . '/../lib';
 use BackRest::Exception;
@@ -545,6 +545,10 @@ sub ini_load
     open($hFile, '<', $strFile)
         or confess &log(ERROR, "unable to open ${strFile}");
 
+    # Create the JSON object
+    my $oJSON = JSON::PP->new();
+
+    # Read the INI file
     while (my $strLine = readline($hFile))
     {
         $strLine = trim($strLine);
@@ -572,7 +576,7 @@ sub ini_load
                 # Try to store value as JSON
                 eval
                 {
-                    ${$oConfig}{"${strSection}"}{"${strKey}"} = decode_json($strValue);
+                    ${$oConfig}{"${strSection}"}{"${strKey}"} = $oJSON->decode($strValue);
                 };
 
                 # On error store value as a scalar
@@ -606,6 +610,10 @@ sub ini_save
     open($hFile, '>', $strFile)
         or confess &log(ERROR, "unable to open ${strFile}");
 
+    # Create the JSON object canonical so that fields are alpha ordered and pass unit tests
+    my $oJSON = JSON::PP->new()->canonical();
+
+    # Write the INI file
     foreach my $strSection (sort(keys $oConfig))
     {
         if (!$bFirst)
@@ -625,7 +633,7 @@ sub ini_save
             {
                 if (ref($strValue) eq "HASH")
                 {
-                    syswrite($hFile, "${strKey}=" . to_json($strValue, {canonical => true}) . "\n")
+                    syswrite($hFile, "${strKey}=" . $oJSON->encode($strValue) . "\n")
                         or confess "unable to write key ${strKey}: $!";
                 }
                 else