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01mf02/jaq

A jq clone in Rust focused on correctness, speed and simplicity, usable as a jq-compatible CLI or as a library.

Open-source alternative to:jq

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What is it?

jaq is a clone of the jq JSON processing tool, written in Rust. It aims to be a drop-in replacement for jq on the command line while providing a more predictable implementation of the jq language, and it also adds support for YAML, CBOR, TOML and XML data formats that jq does not offer.

jaq ships in two forms: a command-line program named jaq, and the jaq-core library, which compiles and runs jq programs from inside Rust code. jaq-core can be used safely in multi-threaded environments and works with arbitrary data types beyond JSON through the ValT trait.

The project reports faster startup than jq, which matters when processing many small files, and includes a benchmark comparison against jq and gojq. Its core has been audited for security, and it comes with a test suite of more than 500 tests.

Key features

  • 01Drop-in command-line replacement for jq
  • 02Supports YAML, CBOR, TOML and XML input formats
  • 03jaq-core library for running jq programs in Rust, safe across threads
  • 04Extensible to custom data types via the ValT trait
  • 05Fast startup and benchmarks against jq and gojq
  • 06Core audited for security and covered by over 500 tests

Use cases

  • Replacing jq in shell scripts and pipelines that process JSON
  • Processing large numbers of small files where jq startup time adds up
  • Embedding jq-style queries in a Rust application

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install jaq from crates.io with Cargo

    cargo install --locked jaq
  2. 2

    Install jaq with Homebrew on macOS or Linux

    brew install jaq
  3. 3

    Or download a binary for your platform from the releases page

Things to know

  • jaq does not take countermeasures against resource exhaustion, so it may use unlimited time, memory, or stack space.
  • Some jq behavior differs from jq by design, so compatibility is not complete in all cases.

Topics

#json#jq#query-language#rust#cli#data-processing#query

FAQ

What is jaq?
A jq clone in Rust focused on correctness, speed and simplicity, usable as a jq-compatible CLI or as a library. jaq is a clone of the jq JSON processing tool, written in Rust. It aims to be a drop-in replacement for jq on the command line while providing a more predictable implementation of the jq language, and it also adds support for YAML, CBOR, TOML and XML data formats that jq does not offer.
Is jaq free to use? What license does it have?
jaq is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is jaq still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to jaq was on Oct 21, 2026.
What can I use jaq for?
Replacing jq in shell scripts and pipelines that process JSON Processing large numbers of small files where jq startup time adds up Embedding jq-style queries in a Rust application
How do I install jaq?
Install jaq from crates.io with Cargo: cargo install --locked jaq Install jaq with Homebrew on macOS or Linux: brew install jaq Or download a binary for your platform from the releases page
Where can I get jaq?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/01mf02/jaq

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