---
title: JSON Formatter
description: Format, minify, and validate JSON data.
---

# JSON Formatter

Format (pretty-print), minify, or validate JSON data.

## Commands

```bash
# Format (pretty-print)
devv json format '{"a":1,"b":[2,3]}'
devv json format '{"z":1,"a":2}' --sort-keys
devv json format '{"a":1}' --indent 4

# Minify
devv json minify '{ "a": 1, "b": 2 }'

# Validate
devv json validate '{"valid": true}'
devv json validate '{broken'
```

## Examples

```bash
# Format a file
cat package.json | devv json format --sort-keys

# Minify for storage
cat data.json | devv json minify

# Validate API response
curl -s https://api.example.com/data | devv json validate
```

## Output

```bash
$ devv json format '{"name":"devv","version":1}'
{
  "name": "devv",
  "version": 1
}

$ devv json validate '{"valid": true}'
✓ Valid JSON

$ devv json validate '{broken'
✗ Unexpected token b in JSON at position 1
```

## Pipeline Usage

| Pipeline ID | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| `json-formatter` | Format/pretty-print JSON |
| `json-validator` | Validate JSON (passthrough) |

```bash
# In a pipeline
devv pipe exec "json-formatter | base64-encode" '{"key":"value"}'
devv pipe exec "base64-decode | json-formatter" "eyJrZXkiOiJ2YWx1ZSJ9"
devv pipe exec "json-validator | json-formatter --sort-keys" '{"b":2,"a":1}'
```

### Options in pipelines

```
json-formatter indent=4
json-formatter --sort-keys
```

### Behavior

- `json-formatter` — transforms input (formatted output passes to next step)
- `json-validator` — passthrough (original input forwarded to next step, validation result shown)

## Options

| Option | Description | Default |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| `--sort-keys` | Sort object keys alphabetically | `false` |
| `--indent <n>` | Indentation spaces | `2` |