# Install jless with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Command-line pager for JSON data. Version 0.9.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#jless.
## Install
```sh
sudo av install brew:jless
```
Additional install commands:
### macOS
- Homebrew (100%):
```sh
brew install jless
```
Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata
- MacPorts (94%):
```sh
sudo port install jless
```
Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/jless/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
### Linux
- apk (92%):
```sh
sudo apk add jless
```
Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: jless from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
- Nix (92%):
```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#jless
```
Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/jl/jless/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- pacman (92%):
```sh
sudo pacman -S jless
```
Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: jless from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz
- zypper (92%):
```sh
sudo zypper install jless
```
Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: jless from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst
## Package facts
- **Package key:** brew:jless
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 0.9.0
- **Source summary:** Command-line pager for JSON data
- **Homepage:**
- **Repository:**
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00
## Executables
- jless (alias)
## Install behavior
- Bottle: not available
## Freshness
- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 0.9.0
## Project history and usage
`jless` is a Rust command-line viewer for JSON data. Its README positions it as a replacement for combinations of `less`, `jq`, `cat`, and an editor when the task is reading, exploring, and searching JSON at the terminal.
### Project history
The GitHub repository was created in April 2021. The project developed as a standalone binary with a dedicated site at jless.io and a mascot/logo identity, while its user guide expanded beyond simple viewing into navigation, search, copying, printing, YAML handling, and newline-delimited JSON support.
The release stream visible in the repository tags includes 0.7.x through 0.9.0, with the 0.9.0 GitHub release adding line numbers, deeper collapse and expand commands, print commands, and search/scrolling fixes.
### Adoption history
The input package metadata records `jless` in Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, apk, pacman, and zypper. The project README also lists Homebrew, MacPorts, Arch, Void, NetBSD, FreeBSD, Cargo, and prebuilt release binaries, showing the package fits the common 'single fast CLI binary' distribution pattern.
### How it is used
`jless` reads JSON from files or standard input, including data piped from APIs, `jq`, or log streams. It focuses on interactive exploration: users expand and collapse objects, move with vim-inspired commands, search across pretty-formatted data, copy JSON paths or values, and switch between data and line display modes.
The user guide also documents YAML input and newline-delimited JSON, which makes the tool useful for structured logs and command-line data inspection beyond one-off pretty printing.
### Why package nerds care
`jless` occupies a recognizable niche in the terminal data-toolchain: it is less a transformer like `jq` and more an interactive pager specialized for structured data. That makes it attractive for package collections because it pairs well with curl, `jq`, logs, and API debugging without requiring a language runtime at use time.
### Timeline
- 2021: The GitHub repository is created.
- 2023: Release v0.9.0 adds line numbers, print commands, deeper collapse and expand commands, and several interaction fixes.
- 2023: The README documents distribution through multiple OS package managers plus Cargo and prebuilt binaries.
### Related projects
- The README explicitly names `less`, `jq`, `cat`, and editors as tools `jless` can replace for viewing JSON. The user guide also documents interoperability with `jq` output and refers to the Rust regex engine used for searching.
### Sources
- Project README, jless user guide, GitHub repository metadata, GitHub release metadata, and Homebrew formula metadata.
## Security Notes
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
## Other Package-Manager Records
- Nix - jless: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/jl/jless/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- apk - jless - 0.9.0-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: jless from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | command-line pager for JSON data | https://pauljuliusmartinez.github.io/
- pacman - jless - 0.9.0-3: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: jless from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | A command-line pager for JSON data | https://github.com/PaulJuliusMartinez/jless
- zypper - jless - 0.9.0-1.10: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: jless from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Pager for JSON (or YAML) data | https://jless.io/
- MacPorts - jless: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/jless/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
## Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/jless.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/jless.yml)
## Sources
- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph