JQ Playground Online — Run jq Filters in Browser, No Install | TimeToProgram — Free

How to use the JQ Playground

Run jq filters live against any JSON:

Paste your JSON

Paste any JSON document into the left panel. Use the Sample button to load a pre-built users dataset with name, age, role, and score fields for instant testing.

Write a jq filter

Type a jq expression in the filter bar. Every filter starts with . — try .users[] to iterate, or .users | sort_by(.age) to sort. Press Enter or click Run Filter.

Run and explore results

Each output value appears as a numbered row with a colour-coded type badge (Array, Object, string, number, boolean, null). Click the expand arrow to inspect complex values inline.

Use the syntax reference

Click any jq token in the syntax reference grid at the bottom to append it to your current filter — useful for building pipelines step by step without memorising syntax.

Copy or download the output

Copy the full output as JSON with the Copy button, or download it as a .json file for use in your workflow.

When to use this tool

Use jq Playground whenever you need to process or transform JSON without opening a terminal:

→Testing jq filters before pasting them into shell scripts, Makefiles, or CI/CD pipeline configs
→Transforming a JSON API response directly in the browser without installing jq locally
→Learning jq syntax step-by-step using the built-in example queries and syntax reference
→Extracting specific fields from deeply nested JSON during code review or debugging
→Quick ad-hoc data transformations when jq in terminal isn't available (Windows, locked-down machine)
→Iterating on a jq pipeline fast with live error feedback before committing it to a script
→Teaching or demonstrating jq to teammates who haven't installed jq locally

Frequently asked questions

Q:Is this real jq or a JavaScript reimplementation?

This is a comprehensive JavaScript reimplementation of jq's core language covering the features developers use most: . identity, .key field access, .[] iteration, | pipes, , comma output, [] array construction, {} object construction, select, map, map_values, sort_by, group_by, unique_by, min_by, max_by, limit, to_entries, from_entries, keys, values, length, type, has, add, any, all, not, first, last, flatten, sort, unique, reverse, empty, try-catch, recursive descent (..), and arithmetic/comparison operators. For the complete jq specification including reduce, label-break, and @formats, use jq in a terminal.

Q:What are the most useful jq filters to know?

The most commonly used jq filters are: . (pretty-print the whole input), .key (extract a field), .[] (iterate array or object values), .key[] (iterate nested array), map(expr) (transform each element), select(cond) (filter elements by condition), sort_by(.field) (sort array by field), group_by(.field) (group into nested arrays), to_entries (convert object to [{key, value}] pairs), from_entries (reverse of to_entries), keys (array of object keys), length (count items), and pipes like .users[] | select(.active) | .email (chain operations).

Q:How do I filter an array of objects by a field value?

Use select() inside .[] or map(): .users[] | select(.role == "admin") returns all objects where role is admin. [.users[] | select(.active == true)] wraps results in an array. You can chain: [.users[] | select(.score > 80) | .name] extracts names of high-scorers.

Q:Can I use multiple filters with pipes?

Yes — jq pipes (|) work exactly as in a terminal. Each filter receives the output of the previous as its input. For example: .users | sort_by(.age) | .[0] first sorts the users array, then picks the first (youngest) element. You can chain as many pipes as needed.

Q:How do I reshape JSON — extract only certain fields?

Use object construction with {}: [.users[] | {name, role}] produces a new array containing only name and role from each user. You can rename fields with {id: .user_id, label: .name}. Combine with select to filter and reshape in one expression.

Q:Is my JSON data sent to a server?

No. The entire jq engine runs in your browser as JavaScript — no data is transmitted to any server, logged, or stored. You can disconnect from the internet and the tool continues to work. This makes it safe to use with real API responses, credentials, or sensitive JSON payloads.