# Install jshon with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Parse, read, and create JSON from the shell. Version 20131105 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:jshon
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install jshon
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install jshon
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/jshon/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- apk (92%):

```sh
sudo apk add jshon
```

  Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: jshon from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install jshon
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: jshon from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#jshon
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/js/jshon/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S jshon
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: jshon from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install jshon
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: jshon from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:jshon
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jshon>
- **Version:** 20131105
- **Source summary:** Parse, read, and create JSON from the shell
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon/blob/master/jshon.1>
- **License:** MIT
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon/archive/refs/tags/20131105.tar.gz>
- **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00

## Executables

- jshon (cli)
- jshon (alias)

## Dependencies

- jansson

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-08
- Package-manager version: 20131105
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/keenerd/jshon
- info: No package-manager update timestamp was available.
- info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available.
## Project history and usage

jshon is a small Unix command-line JSON tool aimed at shell scripts. Its manual says it parses, reads, and creates JSON while replacing fragile `grep`/`sed`/`awk` parsers and heavier one-line Perl or Python snippets.

### Project history

The public tag series uses date-stamped versions from 20110215 through 20131105, matching the lightweight release style of many small C utilities. The tool's model is stack-based: it reads JSON from stdin or a file, performs chained operations, and prints JSON or plain-text results.

### Adoption history

jshon reached several Unix package systems, including Homebrew and Linux distribution packages, because it solved a common pre-`jq` shell problem: safely extracting JSON values without embedding a full scripting language in a pipeline.

### How it is used

Users typically pipe JSON into `jshon`, chain extraction and conversion flags, and combine its line-oriented output with ordinary shell tools. The `-F` and `-I` options also support file input and in-place edits for small JSON changes.

### Why package nerds care

jshon is package-nerd interesting because it belongs to the early 2010s wave of tiny JSON-for-shell utilities. Its interface is less famous than `jq`, but it captures a design point where JSON manipulation was deliberately shaped to fit classic Unix pipelines.

### Timeline

- 2011: Date-stamped public tags begin with 20110215.
- 2013: The manual page is dated September 1, 2013.
- 2013: The 20131105 tag appears as the later date-stamped release used by package managers.

### Related projects

- jshon sits in the same problem space as `jq` for querying JSON and `jo` for producing JSON, but its interface emphasizes chained short options and shell-native line output.

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jshon>
- <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon>
- <https://github.com/keenerd/jshon/blob/master/jshon.1>


## Security Notes

generalized runtime or code generation signal.

- **Geiger risk:** yellow / medium
- generalized runtime or code generation signal

## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** jshon
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 0
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** no
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - jshon - 20180209.d919aea-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: jshon from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Command line tool to parse, read and create JSON | https://github.com/keenerd/jshon
- Nix - jshon: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/js/jshon/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - jshon - 20131010-3build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: jshon from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Command line tool to parse, read and create JSON | http://kmkeen.com/jshon/
- apk - jshon - 20131105-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: jshon from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | JSON parser designed for maximum convenience within the shell | http://kmkeen.com/jshon/
- apk - jshon-doc - 20131105-r2: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: jshon-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | JSON parser designed for maximum convenience within the shell (documentation) | http://kmkeen.com/jshon/
- pacman - jshon - 20131105-6: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: jshon from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A json parser for the shell | https://github.com/keenerd/jshon
- zypper - jshon - 20131105-2.25: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: jshon from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | A JSON parser for the shell | http://kmkeen.com/jshon
- MacPorts - jshon: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/jshon/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Related links

- [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family.
- [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals.
- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [jsawk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jsawk/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data-processing, developer-tools, json, json-tools.
- [fx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fx/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json, json-tools.
- [json2tsv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/json2tsv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, data-processing, developer-tools, json.
- [jc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json.
- [jid](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jid/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json.
- [jp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json.
- [json2hcl](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/json2hcl/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, json.
- [mongosh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/mongosh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, shell.
- [gron](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gron/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, data, data-processing, developer, developer-tools.
- [jaq](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jaq/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: cli, data, data-processing, developer, developer-tools.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/jshon.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/jshon.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- package-page enrichment
- curated package history
- package version freshness
- av.db category and tag curation
- package relationship graph
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph