How to read Json files using shellscript in Linux

An efficient way to read Json files on Linux is through the ‘jq’ command.

The jq command is a powerful command-line tool used on Linux and Unix systems to process and manipulate data in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. JSON is a lightweight and widely used data format for exchanging information between applications and web services.

jq allows you to filter, extract, transform, and query JSON data efficiently and flexibly. It is especially useful when you are dealing with large amounts of JSON data and want to extract specific information or perform complex operations on the data.

jq’s main features and functionality:

Filtering and Selection: With jq, you can easily extract specific values ​​from a JSON document using object, array, and key selection syntax.

Transformation: jq supports mapping and reduction operations, allowing you to modify JSON data or present it in a different format.

Conditions and Flow Control: jq has conditional logic and flow control capabilities, allowing you to apply more complex filters and transformations based on specific conditions.

Advanced Array and Object Manipulation: With jq, you can add, remove, modify, and rearrange elements in JSON arrays and objects.

Custom Variables and Functions: jq allows you to define custom variables and functions to facilitate the reuse of code snippets.

Compression and Formatting: You can use jq to compress or format JSON data, making it more readable or suitable for different purposes.

If “jq” is not installed, just install the package, in my case with YUM.

yum install jq

Example of jq usage:

Suppose you have a file named data.json with the following JSON content:

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "age": 30,
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "city": "New York",
  "country": "USA"
}

To extract the value of the “name” field, you can use the following command:

cat data.json | jq -r '.name'

This will return:

John Doe

This is just a simple example, and jq offers a wide range of features for advanced JSON data manipulation. It is an essential tool for developers, system administrators, and anyone working with JSON data in Linux and Unix environments.

More information about jq can be found HERE.

I hope I have contributed!