# Install jsonfmt with Homebrew, Nix Like gofmt, but for JSON files. Version 0.5.2 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:jsonfmt ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install jsonfmt ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#jsonfmt ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/js/jsonfmt/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:jsonfmt - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.5.2 - **Source summary:** Like gofmt, but for JSON files - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - jsonfmt (cli) - jsonfmt (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.5.2 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt - Upstream latest detected: v0.5.2 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - jsonfmt: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/js/jsonfmt/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/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. - [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. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [jsonpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jsonpp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter, json. - [gofumpt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gofumpt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [goimports](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/goimports/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [odinfmt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/odinfmt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [pgformatter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pgformatter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [rubyfmt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rubyfmt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [smlfmt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/smlfmt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [yamlfix](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yamlfix/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, formatter. - [fracturedjson](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fracturedjson/) - Both packages work with overlapping file formats or content types. Shared terms: but, cli, developer, developer-tools, formatter. - [yamlfmt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yamlfmt/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, files, formatter. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/jsonfmt.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/jsonfmt.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