diff --git a/tests/src/unit-ordered_json2.cpp b/tests/src/unit-ordered_json2.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..461732182
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/src/unit-ordered_json2.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,489 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2018 Vitaliy Manushkin <agri@akamo.info>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// This file closes a test-coverage gap described in GitHub issue #5421:
+// nlohmann::ordered_json (and other non-default basic_json specializations,
+// such as the alt_string-based one from unit-alt-string.cpp) were never
+// exercised through the binary formats (CBOR/MessagePack/UBJSON/BSON/BJData)
+// or through flatten()/unflatten()/diff()/patch()/merge_patch().
+
+#include "doctest_compatibility.h"
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <string>
+#include <utility>
+#include <vector>
+
+using nlohmann::json;
+using nlohmann::ordered_json;
+
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// alt_json: a second, independent copy of the custom-string_t basic_json
+// specialization defined in unit-alt-string.cpp.
+//
+// It is duplicated here (rather than shared via a header) because every
+// unit-*.cpp file in this test suite is compiled into its own standalone
+// executable (see tests/CMakeLists.txt), so there is no ODR concern in
+// having the same class name defined in multiple translation units.
+//
+// Two members had to be added relative to the original alt_string
+// (a constructor from std::string, and a find(char, pos) overload) because
+// the original type was never used with the binary writers/readers before
+// this file: BSON's array/document writer converts std::to_string() results
+// and checks for embedded NUL characters via find(char), and the UBJSON/BSON
+// high-precision-number path constructs the SAX string_t argument from a
+// std::string. Neither path is exercised anywhere else in the test suite for
+// this type, which is presumably why the gap was never noticed.
+/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+class alt_string;
+bool operator<(const char* op1, const alt_string& op2) noexcept; // NOLINT(misc-use-internal-linkage)
+void int_to_string(alt_string& target, std::size_t value); // NOLINT(misc-use-internal-linkage)
+
+class alt_string
+{
+  public:
+    using value_type = std::string::value_type;
+
+    static constexpr auto npos = (std::numeric_limits<std::size_t>::max)();
+
+    alt_string(const char* str): str_impl(str) {}
+    alt_string(const char* str, std::size_t count): str_impl(str, count) {}
+    alt_string(const std::string& str): str_impl(str) {}
+    alt_string(size_t count, char chr): str_impl(count, chr) {}
+    alt_string() = default;
+
+    alt_string& append(char ch)
+    {
+        str_impl.push_back(ch);
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    alt_string& append(const alt_string& str)
+    {
+        str_impl.append(str.str_impl);
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    alt_string& append(const char* s, std::size_t length)
+    {
+        str_impl.append(s, length);
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    void push_back(char c)
+    {
+        str_impl.push_back(c);
+    }
+
+    template <typename op_type>
+    bool operator==(const op_type& op) const
+    {
+        return str_impl == op;
+    }
+
+    bool operator==(const alt_string& op) const
+    {
+        return str_impl == op.str_impl;
+    }
+
+    template <typename op_type>
+    bool operator!=(const op_type& op) const
+    {
+        return str_impl != op;
+    }
+
+    bool operator!=(const alt_string& op) const
+    {
+        return str_impl != op.str_impl;
+    }
+
+    std::size_t size() const noexcept
+    {
+        return str_impl.size();
+    }
+
+    void resize(std::size_t n)
+    {
+        str_impl.resize(n);
+    }
+
+    void resize(std::size_t n, char c)
+    {
+        str_impl.resize(n, c);
+    }
+
+    template <typename op_type>
+    bool operator<(const op_type& op) const noexcept
+    {
+        return str_impl < op;
+    }
+
+    bool operator<(const alt_string& op) const noexcept
+    {
+        return str_impl < op.str_impl;
+    }
+
+    const char* c_str() const
+    {
+        return str_impl.c_str();
+    }
+
+    char& operator[](std::size_t index)
+    {
+        return str_impl[index];
+    }
+
+    const char& operator[](std::size_t index) const
+    {
+        return str_impl[index];
+    }
+
+    char& back()
+    {
+        return str_impl.back();
+    }
+
+    const char& back() const
+    {
+        return str_impl.back();
+    }
+
+    void clear()
+    {
+        str_impl.clear();
+    }
+
+    const value_type* data() const
+    {
+        return str_impl.data();
+    }
+
+    bool empty() const
+    {
+        return str_impl.empty();
+    }
+
+    std::size_t find(const alt_string& str, std::size_t pos = 0) const
+    {
+        return str_impl.find(str.str_impl, pos);
+    }
+
+    // needed by binary_writer's BSON support, which probes string keys for
+    // embedded NUL characters via find(char)
+    std::size_t find(char c, std::size_t pos = 0) const
+    {
+        return str_impl.find(c, pos);
+    }
+
+    std::size_t find_first_of(char c, std::size_t pos = 0) const
+    {
+        return str_impl.find_first_of(c, pos);
+    }
+
+    alt_string substr(std::size_t pos = 0, std::size_t count = npos) const
+    {
+        const std::string s = str_impl.substr(pos, count);
+        return {s.data(), s.size()};
+    }
+
+    alt_string& replace(std::size_t pos, std::size_t count, const alt_string& str)
+    {
+        str_impl.replace(pos, count, str.str_impl);
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    void reserve(std::size_t new_cap = 0)
+    {
+        str_impl.reserve(new_cap);
+    }
+
+  private:
+    std::string str_impl {}; // NOLINT(readability-redundant-member-init)
+
+    friend bool operator<(const char* /*op1*/, const alt_string& /*op2*/) noexcept;
+};
+
+void int_to_string(alt_string& target, std::size_t value)
+{
+    target = std::to_string(value).c_str();
+}
+
+using alt_json = nlohmann::basic_json <
+                 std::map,
+                 std::vector,
+                 alt_string,
+                 bool,
+                 std::int64_t,
+                 std::uint64_t,
+                 double,
+                 std::allocator,
+                 nlohmann::adl_serializer >;
+
+bool operator<(const char* op1, const alt_string& op2) noexcept
+{
+    return op1 < op2.str_impl;
+}
+
+namespace
+{
+
+// collects the object keys of j, in iteration order
+std::vector<std::string> collect_keys(const ordered_json& j)
+{
+    std::vector<std::string> result;
+    for (auto it = j.cbegin(); it != j.cend(); ++it)
+    {
+        result.push_back(it.key());
+    }
+    return result;
+}
+
+// a nested object/array value with keys inserted in non-alphabetical order,
+// used to check both round-trip equality and (for ordered_json) that
+// insertion order survives a trip through a binary format
+ordered_json make_rich_ordered_json()
+{
+    ordered_json j;
+    j["zebra"] = 1;
+    j["apple"] = ordered_json::array({1, 2, 3});
+    j["mango"]["z_nested"] = true;
+    j["mango"]["a_nested"] = nullptr;
+    j["banana"] = "some text";
+    j["cherry"] = 3.14;
+    return j;
+}
+
+alt_json make_rich_alt_json()
+{
+    alt_json j;
+    j["zebra"] = 1;
+    j["apple"] = alt_json::array({1, 2, 3});
+    j["mango"]["z_nested"] = true;
+    j["mango"]["a_nested"] = nullptr;
+    j["banana"] = "some text";
+    j["cherry"] = 3.14;
+    return j;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+TEST_CASE("ordered_json across binary formats")
+{
+    const ordered_json original = make_rich_ordered_json();
+    const std::vector<std::string> original_keys = collect_keys(original);
+    const std::vector<std::string> original_mango_keys = collect_keys(original["mango"]);
+
+    SECTION("CBOR")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = ordered_json::to_cbor(original);
+        const auto restored = ordered_json::from_cbor(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored) == original_keys);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("MessagePack")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = ordered_json::to_msgpack(original);
+        const auto restored = ordered_json::from_msgpack(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored) == original_keys);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("UBJSON")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = ordered_json::to_ubjson(original);
+        const auto restored = ordered_json::from_ubjson(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored) == original_keys);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("BSON")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = ordered_json::to_bson(original);
+        const auto restored = ordered_json::from_bson(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored) == original_keys);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("BJData")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = ordered_json::to_bjdata(original);
+        const auto restored = ordered_json::from_bjdata(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored) == original_keys);
+        CHECK(collect_keys(restored["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+    }
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("alt_json (custom string_t) across binary formats")
+{
+    const alt_json original = make_rich_alt_json();
+
+    SECTION("CBOR")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = alt_json::to_cbor(original);
+        const auto restored = alt_json::from_cbor(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("MessagePack")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = alt_json::to_msgpack(original);
+        const auto restored = alt_json::from_msgpack(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("UBJSON")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = alt_json::to_ubjson(original);
+        const auto restored = alt_json::from_ubjson(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("BSON")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = alt_json::to_bson(original);
+        const auto restored = alt_json::from_bson(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("BJData")
+    {
+        const auto bytes = alt_json::to_bjdata(original);
+        const auto restored = alt_json::from_bjdata(bytes);
+        CHECK(restored == original);
+    }
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("ordered_json operator== is sensitive to key order")
+{
+    // Unlike nlohmann::json (whose object_t is a std::map, so equality never
+    // depends on insertion order), ordered_json's object_t (ordered_map) is a
+    // std::vector<std::pair<Key, T>> under the hood, and does not define its
+    // own operator==: it inherits std::vector's element-wise comparison. As a
+    // result, two ordered_json objects holding the very same key/value pairs
+    // in different insertion order compare *unequal*. This is the property
+    // that makes the round-trip `CHECK(restored == original)` checks above a
+    // meaningful order-preservation check by themselves (the explicit
+    // collect_keys() comparisons make that check explicit/readable, and
+    // guard against this operator== behavior ever changing).
+    ordered_json a;
+    a["x"] = 1;
+    a["y"] = 2;
+
+    ordered_json b;
+    b["y"] = 2;
+    b["x"] = 1;
+
+    CHECK(a.size() == b.size());
+    CHECK(a["x"] == b["x"]);
+    CHECK(a["y"] == b["y"]);
+    CHECK_FALSE(a == b);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("duplicate keys in a binary-encoded object")
+{
+    // CBOR encoding of a map with two entries under the same key "a": {"a": 1, "a": 2}
+    const std::vector<std::uint8_t> cbor_bytes
+    {
+        0xA2, 0x61, 'a', 0x01, 0x61, 'a', 0x02
+    };
+
+    // Both json (std::map, via operator[]) and ordered_json (ordered_map, via
+    // operator[]) build binary-decoded objects by looking up/creating the
+    // entry for each incoming key and then assigning the value into it. This
+    // means a repeated key does *not* produce two entries in either case;
+    // instead, the *first* occurrence's position is kept (relevant only for
+    // ordered_json) while the *last* occurrence's value wins (for both) --
+    // this matches operator[]'s "assign the referenced slot" semantics, and
+    // is worth noting because it differs from the initializer-list
+    // construction path (`ordered_json{{"a",1},{"a",2}}`), which builds
+    // through insert()/emplace() and therefore keeps the *first* value, not
+    // the last (see the "There are no dup keys..." case in
+    // unit-ordered_json.cpp).
+    const auto j = json::from_cbor(cbor_bytes);
+    const auto oj = ordered_json::from_cbor(cbor_bytes);
+
+    CHECK(j.size() == 1);
+    CHECK(oj.size() == 1);
+    CHECK(j["a"] == 2);
+    CHECK(oj["a"] == 2);
+    CHECK(j == json(oj));
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("ordered_json through flatten/unflatten")
+{
+    const ordered_json original = make_rich_ordered_json();
+    const std::vector<std::string> original_keys = collect_keys(original);
+    const std::vector<std::string> original_mango_keys = collect_keys(original["mango"]);
+
+    const ordered_json flat = original.flatten();
+    const ordered_json unflattened = flat.unflatten();
+
+    CHECK(unflattened == original);
+    // flatten() walks the value depth-first in iteration order and
+    // unflatten() re-inserts each flattened key via operator[] in the flat
+    // object's iteration order, so for ordered_json the original key order
+    // (both top-level and nested) is preserved end-to-end.
+    CHECK(collect_keys(unflattened) == original_keys);
+    CHECK(collect_keys(unflattened["mango"]) == original_mango_keys);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("ordered_json through diff/patch/patch_inplace")
+{
+    ordered_json original;
+    original["one"] = 1;
+    original["two"] = 2;
+    original["three"] = 3;
+
+    ordered_json target = original;
+    target["one"] = 100;      // replace
+    target.erase("two");      // remove
+    target["four"] = 4;       // add
+
+    const ordered_json patch = ordered_json::diff(original, target);
+
+    SECTION("patch")
+    {
+        const ordered_json patched = original.patch(patch);
+        CHECK(patched == target);
+    }
+
+    SECTION("patch_inplace")
+    {
+        ordered_json copy = original;
+        copy.patch_inplace(patch);
+        CHECK(copy == target);
+    }
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("ordered_json through merge_patch")
+{
+    ordered_json original;
+    original["a"] = 1;
+    original["b"] = 2;
+
+    const ordered_json patch = {{"b", nullptr}, {"c", 3}};
+
+    original.merge_patch(patch);
+
+    ordered_json expected;
+    expected["a"] = 1;
+    expected["c"] = 3;
+
+    CHECK(original == expected);
+    CHECK(collect_keys(original) == collect_keys(expected));
+}
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-std-format.cpp b/tests/src/unit-std-format.cpp
index f7a364884..d18ccbd32 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-std-format.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-std-format.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
 using json = nlohmann::json;
+using ordered_json = nlohmann::ordered_json;
 
 // JSON_HAS_CPP_20 (do not remove; see note at top of file)
 #if JSON_HAS_STD_FORMAT
@@ -93,4 +94,16 @@ TEST_CASE("std::formatter<nlohmann::json>")
     }
 }
 
+TEST_CASE("std::formatter<nlohmann::ordered_json>")
+{
+    // spot-check a non-default basic_json instantiation, since the formatter
+    // is written against the generic NLOHMANN_BASIC_JSON_TPL_DECLARATION
+    // template and must actually instantiate (and behave correctly) for
+    // template arguments other than nlohmann::json
+    const ordered_json j = {{"foo", 1}, {"bar", {1, 2, 3}}};
+    CHECK(std::format("{}", j) == j.dump());
+    CHECK(std::format("{:#}", j) == j.dump(4));
+    CHECK(std::format("{:2}", j) == j.dump(2));
+}
+
 #endif