diff --git a/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParser.java b/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParser.java
index 9dc379aa242..0baa1b3d64e 100644
--- a/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParser.java
+++ b/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParser.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2020 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
+ * Copyright (c) 2020, 2021 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -149,7 +149,12 @@ private static ObjectNode fromConfig(ConfigObject config) {
             } else if (value instanceof ConfigObject) {
                 builder.addObject(key, fromConfig((ConfigObject) value));
             } else {
-                builder.addValue(key, value.unwrapped().toString());
+                Object unwrapped = value.unwrapped();
+                if (unwrapped == null) {
+                    builder.addValue(key, "");
+                } else {
+                    builder.addValue(key, String.valueOf(unwrapped));
+                }
             }
         });
         return builder.build();
diff --git a/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserBuilder.java b/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserBuilder.java
index d386c9f35d3..7577f83c272 100644
--- a/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserBuilder.java
+++ b/config/hocon/src/main/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserBuilder.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2017, 2020 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017, 2021 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ public HoconConfigParserBuilder resolveOptions(ConfigResolveOptions resolveOptio
      *
      * @return new instance of HOCON ConfigParser.
      */
+    @Override
     public HoconConfigParser build() {
         return new HoconConfigParser(resolvingEnabled, resolveOptions);
     }
diff --git a/config/hocon/src/test/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserTest.java b/config/hocon/src/test/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserTest.java
index 031a9938dfc..500a6bcb23e 100644
--- a/config/hocon/src/test/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserTest.java
+++ b/config/hocon/src/test/java/io/helidon/config/hocon/HoconConfigParserTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2017, 2020 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
+ * Copyright (c) 2017, 2021 Oracle and/or its affiliates.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ public void testConfigKeyEscapedNameComplex() {
 
         Config config = Config
                 .builder(ConfigSources.create(JSON, HoconConfigParser.MEDIA_TYPE_APPLICATION_JSON))
-                .addParser(new HoconConfigParser())
+                .addParser(HoconConfigParser.create())
                 .disableEnvironmentVariablesSource()
                 .disableSystemPropertiesSource()
                 .disableParserServices()
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ public void testConfigKeyEscapedNameComplex() {
 
     @Test
     public void testGetSupportedMediaTypes() {
-        HoconConfigParser parser = new HoconConfigParser();
+        HoconConfigParser parser = HoconConfigParser.create();
 
         assertThat(parser.supportedMediaTypes(), is(not(empty())));
     }
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ public void testGetSupportedMediaTypes() {
     public void testCustomTypeMapping() {
         Config config = Config
                 .builder(ConfigSources.create(AppType.DEF, HoconConfigParser.MEDIA_TYPE_APPLICATION_JSON))
-                .addParser(new HoconConfigParser())
+                .addParser(HoconConfigParser.create())
                 .addMapper(AppType.class, new AppTypeMapper())
                 .disableEnvironmentVariablesSource()
                 .disableSystemPropertiesSource()
@@ -277,6 +277,23 @@ public void testCustomTypeMapping() {
 
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testParserFromJson() {
+        Config config = Config.builder()
+                .disableSystemPropertiesSource()
+                .disableEnvironmentVariablesSource()
+                .disableParserServices()
+                .addParser(HoconConfigParser.create())
+                .addSource(ConfigSources.classpath("config.json"))
+                .build();
+
+        Optional<String> property = config.get("oracle.com").asString().asOptional();
+        assertThat(property, is(Optional.of("1")));
+
+        property = config.get("nulls.null").asString().asOptional();
+        assertThat(property, is(Optional.of("")));
+    }
+
     //
     // helper
     //
@@ -317,11 +334,11 @@ public static class AppType {
                 + "  storagePassphrase = \"${AES=thisIsEncriptedPassphrase}\""
                 + "}";
 
-        private String greeting;
-        private String name;
-        private int pageSize;
-        private List<Integer> basicRange;
-        private String storagePassphrase;
+        private final String greeting;
+        private final String name;
+        private final int pageSize;
+        private final List<Integer> basicRange;
+        private final String storagePassphrase;
 
         public AppType(
                 String name,
@@ -365,15 +382,14 @@ private static class AppTypeMapper implements Function<Config, AppType> {
 
         @Override
         public AppType apply(Config config) throws ConfigMappingException, MissingValueException {
-            AppType app = new AppType(
+
+            return new AppType(
                     config.get("name").asString().get(),
                     config.get("greeting").asString().get(),
                     config.get("page-size").asInt().get(),
                     config.get("basic-range").asList(Integer.class).get(),
                     config.get("storagePassphrase").asString().get()
             );
-
-            return app;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/config/hocon/src/test/resources/config.json b/config/hocon/src/test/resources/config.json
index c21aa20fed7..ed4f9ef6868 100644
--- a/config/hocon/src/test/resources/config.json
+++ b/config/hocon/src/test/resources/config.json
@@ -6,5 +6,8 @@
     "oracle": {
         "com": "1",
         "cz": "2"
+    },
+    "nulls": {
+        "null": null
     }
 }