gron vs jless

gron is a free, open-source command-line utility that turns JSON into separate assignments with visible paths. This representation helps users grep values in large or deeply nested JSON, including responses from poorly documented APIs. Input can come from a file, URL, or standard input. The --ungron option converts assignments back into JSON, while --json emits a JSON stream. Other options provide value-only output, colored or monochrome display, line-by-line streaming, insecure certificate handling, and sorting control. The output is valid JavaScript, and the project demonstrates comparing JSON files by diffing their gron output. If array entries are missing, ungron inserts null values to preserve keys. gron has no runtime dependencies. Installation instructions cover binary downloads, Homebrew, and Go install. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows; plan information also lists FreeBSD binaries. The repository uses the MIT license.

jless is a free command-line viewer for reading and exploring JSON and YAML on macOS and Linux. It formats JSON with indentation and syntax highlighting, and lets users open or close objects and arrays using vim-inspired commands. Search supports both full-text and regular-expression queries. jless reads files or standard input, including newline-delimited JSON; it can detect YAML from a file extension or read it with the --yaml flag. YAML comments and anchors are not shown. Users can copy values, keys, and paths to the system clipboard, or print them in the terminal, including a jq-style path for the focused node. It does not provide jq querying. Data mode gives a streamlined view, while line mode shows formatted JSON. Installation choices include Homebrew, MacPorts, Linux package managers, Cargo, downloadable binaries, and building from source with Rust. The project is MIT-licensed and available as a standalone binary. Its maker suggests it for exploring external APIs or debugging request payloads.