jsonlint

jsonlint [-c|--compact] [-q|--quiet] [-b|--blank] [FILE|-]

-c, --compact
    Output compact JSON without whitespace instead of pretty-printing.

-q, --quiet
    Quiet mode: suppress output, exit 0 if valid JSON, 1 if invalid.

-b, --blank
    Check only if input JSON is blank (empty object/array).

-h, --help
    Display help and usage information.

-v, --version
    Show the jsonlint version.

jsonlint is a lightweight command-line tool for validating and linting JSON files or input. It parses JSON from files or standard input (stdin), checks for syntax errors, and reports issues with precise line and column numbers. If valid, it can pretty-print the JSON in a formatted way or output in compact form. Primarily used for scripting, CI/CD pipelines, and quick JSON checks without a full editor.

Installation requires Node.js and npm: run npm install -g jsonlint. Once installed, it's available system-wide. It supports multiple files and exits with code 0 for valid JSON, 1 for invalid, making it ideal for automation. Unlike heavier tools, it's fast and focused solely on validation and formatting, without querying or transforming data.

Requires Node.js/npm installation; not in standard distro repos. Reads stdin if no FILE given. Limited to syntax validation—no data querying.

npm install -g jsonlint
Verify: jsonlint --version

jsonlint file.json — validate and pretty-print.
echo '{"key":1}' | jsonlint -q — quiet stdin check.
jsonlint -c *.json — compact validate multiple files.

Developed by Zachary Carter as a Node.js module; first npm release in 2012. Popular for shell scripting; maintained with minor updates for Node compatibility.

jq(1)