# jq and yq

> jq and yq, query and edit JSON and YAML from the command line.

jq filters JSON: pick fields, select items, reshape the output. yq does the same for YAML with the same expression language, and converts between YAML and JSON. Together they read every `-json` output of zc-workstation and its YAML config.

## On the workstation

-   Installed by the `jq` and `yq` formulae. `yq` is Mike Farah’s Go version.
    
-   `gh` takes the same expressions with `--jq`, so a GitHub query needs no pipe.
    

## Keys and commands

 
| Key or command | Does |
| --- | --- |
| 
`jq . file.json`

 | 

Pretty-print JSON

 |
| 

`jq -r '.[].name'`

 | 

Print a field of every item, without quotes

 |
| 

`jq '.[] | select(.x > 1)'`

 | 

Keep the items that match

 |
| 

`jq -s '.[0] * .[1]' a.json b.json`

 | 

Merge two JSON files, the second winning

 |
| 

`yq '.targets[].name' file.yaml`

 | 

Query YAML

 |
| 

`yq -i '.key = "value"' file.yaml`

 | 

Edit YAML in place

 |
| 

`yq -o json file.yaml`

 | 

Convert YAML to JSON

 |

## With zc-workstation

The targets that are not fully in place:

```console
$ zc-workstation status -json | jq -r '.[] | select(.in_place < .declared) | .summary'
41 of 43 dotfiles in place
```

Each planned change on one line:

```console
$ zc-workstation plan -json | jq -r '.actions[] | "\(.op) \(.target) \(.resource)"'
UPDATE macos com.apple.finder FXPreferredViewStyle
```

The targets that run on Linux:

```console
$ yq '.targets[] | select(.os[0] == "linux") | .name' zc-workstation.yaml
apt
```

## See also

-   [GitHub CLI](gh.html)
    
-   [Commands](../commands.html)
    
-   [jq website](https://jqlang.org)
    
-   [yq website](https://mikefarah.gitbook.io/yq)