The json_xs tool is a powerful command-line utility for converting JSON data. It leverages C libraries for high performance, making it an efficient choice for developers working with JSON in Perl environments. This tool can handle various conversion tasks, from pretty-printing and compacting JSON to transforming it into other formats like YAML or Perl data structures.

JSON to YAML Conversion

Easily convert your JSON data into YAML format. This is particularly useful for configuration files or when working with systems that prefer YAML over JSON. The -t yaml option ensures a clean and accurate conversion.

# Convert a JSON string to a YAML format
json_xs -t yaml < input.json > output.yaml

JSON Formatting and Validation

json_xs can also be used to format JSON for better readability or to validate its structure. The tool ensures that your JSON is well-formed and can output it unchanged if it's valid, or report errors if it's not.

# Convert a JSON string to a pretty-printed JSON format
json_xs < input.json > pretty_output.json

# Validate JSON and print it unchanged if valid
json_xs -t null < input.json

Advanced JSON Transformations

Beyond basic formatting, json_xs supports more advanced operations. This includes converting JSON to a Perl data structure for further processing or concatenating multiple JSON inputs into a single array.

# Convert JSON to Perl data structure and pretty-print it
json_xs -t dumper < input.json

# Slurp up all input and concatenate them into a single array
json_xs -a < multi_json_input.json > array_output.json

Key Deduplication

When dealing with JSON data that might contain duplicate keys, json_xs provides an option to de-duplicate them, keeping the last encountered value for each key. This ensures data integrity and predictability.

# De-duplicate keys while keeping the last value for a key
json_xs -D < input.json > deduped_output.json

Usage Examples

Here are a few more examples demonstrating the versatility of json_xs:

# Convert a JSON string to a compact JSON format
json_xs -c < input.json > compact_output.json

# Convert JSON from STDIN to a pretty-printed JSON format
echo '{"key":"value"}' | json_xs > pretty_output.json

External Resources

• JSON Official Website
• YAML Official Website
• JSON::XS Perl Module Documentation
• MDN Web Docs on JSON