jless vs jsonfmt.dev

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.

jsonfmt.dev is a web-based JSON formatter, beautifier and validator, with an HTTPS API for JSON processing. The formatter offers 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation, optional key sorting and depth control. It validates JSON against RFC 8259 and reports line and column errors. Other tools can repair common malformed JSON, compare two documents and convert formats including YAML, CSV, XML, TypeScript, SQL, GraphQL and Protobuf. The toolkit also includes a JWT decoder, JSON Schema validator, JSONPath evaluator and JSONL tools. The maker says the core browser tool handles JSON locally without sending its contents to the server, and continues to work offline after loading; it can also be installed as a Progressive Web App. API options include anonymous access limited to 10 requests per minute, a free API key tier with 100 requests per minute and 1,000 per month, and Pro API at $9, paid once for 1,000 requests per minute and 50,000 per month. Share links encode JSON in the URL fragment, and anyone with the link can access its contents.