macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install jsonfmtlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 8702
Install jsonfmt with Homebrew, Nix
Like gofmt, but for JSON files. Version 0.5.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-26. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#jsonfmt.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#jsonfmtnixpkgs 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 bottle metadata was recorded.
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 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
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 generated2026-08-03
manager version0.5.2
manager updated2026-07-26
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:jsonfmt |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.5.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt |
| Repository | https://github.com/caarlos0/jsonfmt |
| Last updated | 2026-07-26T04:08:08+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
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
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation