macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install jqlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install jqMacPorts ports tree · sysutils/jq/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / approval gates
Install jq with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper
Lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor. Version 1.8.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-20.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add jqAlpine Linux edge package indexes · jq · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install jqDebian stable package indexes · jq · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install jqFedora Rawhide package metadata · jq · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#jqnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/jq/jq/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S jqArch Linux sync databases · jq · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install jqopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · jq · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Chocolateyverified · 92%
choco install jqChocolatey community package catalog · jq · source: community.chocolatey.org
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/jqScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/jq.json · source: api.github.com
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id jqlang.jq -eWindows Package Manager source index · jqlang.jq · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
Project links
Commands and aliases
- jq
history
Project history and usage
jq is the canonical command-line JSON processor: a small C program and language for slicing, filtering, mapping, and transforming structured JSON data. The official site describes it as doing for JSON what `sed`, `awk`, `grep`, and related tools do for text.
Project history
jq was created by Stephen Dolan and grew into a standalone query language with filters, pipes, generators, functions, modules, streaming input, and a C library. Its zero-runtime-dependency binary made it easy to distribute in scripts, containers, CI jobs, and production debugging environments.
The public release line was already established by jq 1.3 in May 2013 and jq 1.4 in June 2014. jq 1.5 in August 2015 added substantial language features including datetime, math, regular-expression functions, try/catch syntax, destructuring, a streaming parser, and a module system. jq 1.6 followed in November 2018.
After a five-year gap, jq governance moved into the jqlang GitHub organization. The 1.7 release in September 2023 credited the new organization, new maintainers and admins, Stephen Dolan's repository transfer, updated CI and release infrastructure, broader platform binaries, Docker images from GitHub Container Registry, and OSS-Fuzz integration.
Adoption history
jq became a default tool for API users, shell programmers, SREs, CI maintainers, and package authors because JSON became the lingua franca of web APIs and cloud CLIs. It is packaged across Homebrew, Linux distributions, MacPorts, Nix, Chocolatey, Scoop, winget, and other ecosystems, and its filters are routinely embedded in documentation and automation snippets.
How it is used
Common usage ranges from pretty-printing and extracting fields to reshaping API responses, validating shell pipeline output, transforming config data, and writing reusable jq modules. Its single-binary distribution model also makes it popular in containers and remote machines where installing a language runtime would be heavier.
Why package nerds care
jq is one of the defining package-manager CLIs of the JSON era. Package nerds care about it because it is both a tiny executable and a language ecosystem: build systems depend on it, tests shell out to it, release pipelines parse with it, and downstream tools such as gojq, jaq, fq, jq-lsp, playgrounds, and editor integrations orbit its syntax and behavior.
Timeline
- 2013-05-19: jq 1.3 was released.
- 2014-06-09: jq 1.4 was released.
- 2015-08-15: jq 1.5 was released with major language and parser features.
- 2018-11-01: jq 1.6 was released.
- 2023-09-07: jq 1.7 was released after a five-year hiatus under the jqlang organization.
- 2023-12-13: jq 1.7.1 was released with security and bug fixes.
- 2025-06-01: jq 1.8.0 was released.
- 2026-06-20: jq 1.8.2 was released with security fixes, bug fixes, and additional builds.
Related projects
- Related projects include gojq, jaq, fq, jq-lsp, vscode-jq, jqlang/awesome-jq, play.jqlang.org, and package-manager formulas that distribute jq as a ubiquitous scripting dependency.
Sources
approval gates
Human review metadata for risky commands
The local approval-gate seed includes 3 rules for jq. Covered entrypoints: jq. Severity labels: low, medium. Coverage: partial, reviewed 2026-05-21.
Example gated actions
- Read additional JSON data from local files.
- Read and execute jq test definitions.
- Emit shell-escaped strings that may be consumed by another command.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
jq | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.8.2
manager updated2026-06-20
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/jqlang/jqnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:jq |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.8.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jq |
| Homepage | https://jqlang.github.io/jq/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/jqlang/jq |
| Upstream docs | https://jqlang.github.io/jq/manual |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/jqlang/jq/releases/download/jq-1.8.2/jq-1.8.2.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-20T16:30:04Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | oniguruma |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | jq |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
jq 1.7.1-6+deb13u2
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
sudo apt install jq- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Debian apt95%
libjq-dev 1.7.1-6+deb13u2
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor - development files
sudo apt install libjq-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: jq
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Debian apt95%
libjq1 1.7.1-6+deb13u2
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor - shared library
sudo apt install libjq1- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: jq
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Nix95%
jq
nix profile install nixpkgs#jq- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Ubuntu apt95%
jq 1.7.1-3build1
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
sudo apt install jq- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Ubuntu apt95%
libjq-dev 1.7.1-3build1
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor - development files
sudo apt install libjq-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: jq
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
Ubuntu apt95%
libjq1 1.7.1-3build1
lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor - shared library
sudo apt install libjq1- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: jq
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
apk95%
jq 1.8.1-r0
A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
sudo apk add jq- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
apk95%
jq-dev 1.8.1-r0
A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor (development files)
sudo apk add jq-dev- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
apk95%
jq-doc 1.8.1-r0
A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor (documentation)
sudo apk add jq-doc- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
dnf95%
jq 1.8.1-3.fc45
Command-line JSON processor
sudo dnf install jq- License: MIT AND ICU AND CC-BY-3.0
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: jq
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
dnf95%
jq-devel 1.8.1-3.fc45
Development files for jq
sudo dnf install jq-devel- License: MIT AND ICU AND CC-BY-3.0
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: i686
- Source Package: jq
- 3 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
pacman95%
jq 1.8.1-3
Command-line JSON processor
sudo pacman -S jq- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
zypper95%
jq 1.8.1-3.1
A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
sudo zypper install jq- License: CC-BY-3.0 AND MIT
- Category: Productivity/Text/Utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- 4 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
zypper95%
libjq-devel 1.8.1-3.1
Development files for jq
sudo zypper install libjq-devel- License: CC-BY-3.0 AND MIT
- Category: Development/Languages/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- 2 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
zypper95%
libjq1 1.8.1-3.1
Library for a lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor
sudo zypper install libjq1- License: CC-BY-3.0 AND MIT
- Category: System/Libraries
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: jq
- 4 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Jq
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- approval-gate seed metadata
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment