jless is a command-line JSON viewer that replaces the combination of less, jq, cat, and text editors for viewing JSON files.
The tool addresses the friction of exploring JSON data in the terminal by providing a purpose-built interface rather than piping between general-purpose utilities. It displays JSON with clean syntax highlighting, omitting quotes around object keys and unnecessary delimiters to reduce visual clutter. Users can expand and collapse objects and arrays to navigate between high-level structure and detailed content, and a regex-based search system helps locate specific data within large files.
The project suits developers who frequently inspect JSON files at the command line and want a more efficient workflow than traditional tools. It works well for exploring API responses, configuration files, and log data. The tool is distributed as a single standalone binary, making installation straightforward across macOS and Linux systems through multiple package managers or direct compilation from source.
Development activity shows consistent maintenance with regular updates addressing user-reported issues and feature requests. The project demonstrates responsiveness to community feedback, incorporating suggestions for improvements to navigation and search functionality. Work continues on expanding platform support, with Windows compatibility under active development.
