JSONPath Expression
Examples
JSON Input
Results
JSONPath Tester evaluates JSONPath expressions against JSON data. Paste JSON in the top panel, enter a JSONPath query (e.g., $.store.book[*].author or $..price), and see the matching elements highlighted and listed. Supports both Goessner JSONPath notation and RFC 9535 (the 2024 IETF standard), with bracket notation, filter expressions, recursive descent (..), wildcards (*), and slice operators.
JSONPath is a query language for JSON data, analogous to XPath for XML. Created by Stefan Goessner in 2007. Syntax: $ is the root. . (dot) is child access. [] is bracket notation. * is wildcard (all children). .. is recursive descent (search all levels). @ refers to the current element in a filter expression. [?(...)] is a filter. Slice: [start:end:step]. Example: $.store.book[?(@.price < 10)].title returns titles of cheap books.
RFC 9535 (JSONPath, 2024) is the official IETF standardization of JSONPath, resolving the many ambiguities in the original Goessner spec. Key additions: standardized filter expression semantics, normalized path output, segment types (child vs descendant), and a formal grammar. Most tools and libraries pre-date RFC 9535 and implement Goessner JSONPath — check which version your tool supports when results differ.
Get all book authors
Result: $.store.book[*].author → ["Nigel Rees", "Evelyn Waugh", ...]
Filter by price
Result: $.store.book[?(@.price < 10)].title → books costing less than $10
Recursive search
Result: $..author → all author values at any depth in the JSON
What is the difference between $.foo and $..foo in JSONPath?
$.foo accesses the 'foo' property directly on the root object — one level deep. This is the child operator. $..foo is the recursive descent operator — it searches at every level of the JSON structure for a 'foo' property. Example: if 'author' appears in nested objects at different depths, $.author finds it only at root, $..author finds it everywhere. The double-dot (..) is useful for extracting a specific key from deeply nested or variably structured JSON.
How do I filter JSON array elements with JSONPath?
Filter expressions use [?(...)]: [?(@.price < 10)] — elements where price < 10. [?(@.category == 'fiction')] — elements where category equals 'fiction'. [?(@.isbn)] — elements that have an isbn property (existence check). [?(@.price > 5 && @.price < 20)] — price between 5 and 20 (in supporting implementations). @ refers to the current element. Comparison operators: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=. The exact set of supported operators varies by implementation — RFC 9535 standardizes the set.
What is the difference between dot notation and bracket notation in JSONPath?
Dot notation: $.store.book.title — cleaner for simple keys. Bracket notation: $['store']['book']['title'] — required for keys with spaces, special characters, or that start with numbers. For array access: $.list[0] (dot notation for index) or $['list'][0]. Wildcards: $.* (all children of root) == $['*'] is ambiguous — prefer $.* for children, $..* for all descendants. Bracket notation is more explicit and works in all edge cases; dot notation is more readable for simple paths.
What tools support JSONPath queries?
JavaScript: jsonpath-plus (comprehensive, RFC 9535 compatible), jsonpath (Goessner). Python: jsonpath-ng (RFC 9535), jsonpath-rw (Goessner). Java: Jayway JsonPath (widely used, REST-assured uses it for API testing). Go: gjson (fast), github.com/PaesslerAG/jsonpath. Database support: PostgreSQL uses jsonpath (its own syntax for jsonb columns). MySQL: JSON_EXTRACT(doc, '$.field'). jq (command-line): has its own query language similar to JSONPath. Postman and most API testing tools support JSONPath for assertions.
How does JSONPath compare to jq?
JSONPath is a standardized query language for navigating JSON structures — read-only queries, returns values or paths. jq is a powerful command-line JSON processor with its own language that can both query and transform JSON: filter, map, reduce, add, delete fields. jq is much more powerful for data transformation but has a steeper learning curve. For simple value extraction: JSONPath and jq are similar. For reshaping JSON (combining arrays, computing aggregates, restructuring objects): jq is the right tool. JSONPath is better for in-app querying where you need a standard, embeddable library.