install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install jsonfmt

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#jsonfmt

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/js/jsonfmt/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Like gofmt, but for JSON files

Project links

Commands and aliases

jsonfmt

history

Project history and usage

jsonfmt is a Go command-line formatter for JSON files, explicitly modeled as `gofmt` for JSON.

Project history

Carlos Becker introduced jsonfmt in a November 12, 2018 blog post after needing consistent JSON formatting for a Chef-heavy project. The post describes rejecting heavier or awkward alternatives, then arriving at Go's standard `json.Indent` as the simple implementation core.

The GitHub repository was created in November 2018 and packages the formatter as a small static CLI with release artifacts for several installation paths.

Adoption history

Adoption is practical and small-scale: Homebrew, Docker, apt/yum repository instructions, deb/rpm packages, and manual binaries are documented by the project. The intended users are teams that want JSON formatting in CI or pre-commit workflows without pulling in a larger JavaScript formatter stack.

How it is used

The README documents `jsonfmt` for checking and `jsonfmt -w` for rewriting files. Becker's blog describes using `jsonfmt -w` locally and plain `jsonfmt` in CI so formatting drift fails the build.

Why package nerds care

jsonfmt is notable as a minimal native alternative to general-purpose formatters. Its charm is that it mostly packages a standard-library behavior into a predictable CLI, which is exactly the sort of small tool package managers are good at preserving.

Timeline

2018-11-07: The GitHub repository was created.
2018-11-12: The author published the `Keeping json files formatted` post.
2018-11-12: The blog documented Homebrew, Snapcraft, Docker, deb/rpm, and manual installation routes.
2026-06-02: GitHub repository metadata showed ongoing repository activity.

Related projects

jsonfmt is related to gofmt by naming and workflow, to jq and Prettier as alternative JSON formatting options, and to Go's `encoding/json` package through its implementation approach.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`jsonfmt`	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 version0.5.2

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.5.2

https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:jsonfmt
Version	0.5.2
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jsonfmt
Homepage	https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt
Repository	https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt
Upstream docs	https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt/archive/refs/tags/v0.5.2.tar.gz
Build dependencies	go
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	jsonfmt
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	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

jsonfmt

nix profile install nixpkgs#jsonfmt

normalized package name match
Matched by: Jsonfmt

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

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/jsonfmt.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
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

Install jsonfmt with Homebrew, Nix