JSONPath

The JSONPath Playground runs a query against your JSON and shows every match as you type. It follows RFC 9535, the IETF standard for JSONPath.

Paste JSON on the left, type a query at the top. Switch the result between Values (a JSON array of matches) and Paths (where each match lives). Click a path to copy it.

Cheat sheet

The examples use the playground’s Sample document — a store with four books and a bicycle.

Syntax	Meaning	Example
$	The root of the document	$
.name / ['name']	A member of an object	$.store.bicycle, $['store']
*	Every member or array item	$.store.book[*].author
..	Recursive descent: this level and everything below	$..price
[n]	Array item; negative counts from the end	$.store.book[0], $.store.book[-1]
[start:end:step]	Slice, like Python	$.store.book[:2], $.store.book[::-1]
[a,b]	Several selectors at once	$.store.book[0,2], $['store']['bicycle','book']
[?…]	Filter items with a condition; @ is the current item	$.store.book[?@.price < 10]

You can leave out the leading $: store.book[0] works too.

Filters

Filter	Keeps items where…
[?@.isbn]	isbn exists
[?!@.isbn]	isbn does not exist
[?@.price < 10]	price is below 10 (== != < <= > >=)
[?@.category == 'fiction']	a string matches exactly (single or double quotes)
[?@.price > 10 && @.price < 20]	both conditions hold (|| for either, !( … ) for not)
[?@.price < $.store.bicycle.price]	compared with another value in the document
[?(@.price < 10)]	the older parenthesised form also works

Comparisons follow the standard: numbers compare as numbers, strings by character, and < > only apply to two numbers or two strings. A missing field equals nothing except another missing field.

Functions

Function	Returns	Example
length(v)	Characters in a string, items in an array, or members of an object	$..book[?length(@.title) > 15]
count(q)	How many nodes a query matches	$.store[?count(@.*) == 2]
match(v, 're')	true if the whole string matches the regex	$..book[?match(@.author, 'J.*')]
search(v, 're')	true if the string contains a match	$..book[?search(@.title, 'Dick')]
value(q)	The single value a query matches	$..book[?value(@..isbn) == '0-553-21311-3']

Differences from older JSONPath tools

Many older libraries (Goessner’s original, jsonpath-plus, Jayway) accept extra syntax that isn’t in the standard:

• Script expressions like $.items[(@.length-1)] aren’t run — they can execute code. Use $.items[-1].
• .length is not a property; use length(@.items) in a filter.
• Regex with =~ — use match() or search().
• Array or object literals in filters (@.tags == ['a']) aren’t allowed. Compare against a query instead.

When something isn’t valid, the playground says what’s wrong and at which column.

Results and sharing

• Copy in Values copies all matches as a JSON array. In Paths it copies them as RFC normalized paths like $['store']['book'][2]['title'], one per line.
• Large results show the first 5,000 values (or 1,000 paths); Copy and Download always include everything.
• Share creates a link with the JSON and the query after the # — never sent to a server.
• Your last document and query are remembered in your browser. Clear removes them.