JSONPath Syntax: Query and Filter JSON (with Examples)

What is JSONPath?

JSONPath is a string expression that selects nodes from a JSON document. You write a path that navigates objects and arrays, and the engine returns every value that matches. It turns multi-line traversal code into a single readable expression, which is why it shows up in CLI tools, config systems, and test frameworks.

For years JSONPath was a loose convention with subtle differences between implementations. RFC 9535, published in 2024, standardizes the syntax and semantics, so expressions now behave consistently across compliant tools.

Root, dot, and bracket notation

Every JSONPath begins with $, the root of the document. From there you navigate with dot notation or bracket notation. $.store.book selects the book value inside store; the equivalent bracket form is $['store']['book']. Use brackets when a key contains spaces or special characters that dot notation cannot express.

Bracket notation also selects array elements by index: $.store.book[0] is the first book, and negative indexes count from the end, so [-1] is the last element.

$.store.book[0].title
$['store']['book'][0]['title']

Wildcards and recursive descent

The wildcard * matches all elements at a level: $.store.book[*] selects every book in the array, and $.store.* selects every value directly under store. The recursive descent operator .. searches all levels of the document. $..author finds every author field no matter how deeply it is nested — invaluable when you do not know or do not care about the exact path.

Array slices and indexes

• $.items[0] — the first element
• $.items[-1] — the last element
• $.items[0:2] — a slice: elements at index 0 and 1 (the end is exclusive)
• $.items[*] — every element
• $.items[0,2,4] — a union of specific indexes

Filter expressions

Filters are where JSONPath becomes powerful. A filter [?<expression>] keeps only the elements for which the expression is true, using the current node identifier @ to refer to each candidate. For example, $.store.book[?@.price < 10] returns every book whose price is under ten.

Filters support the comparison operators ==, !=, <, >, <=, and >=, plus the logical operators && (and), || (or), and ! (not). A bare query inside a filter is an existence test: $.store.book[?@.isbn] selects only books that have an isbn field. Combine them — $.book[?@.price < 20 && @.inStock] — to express precise conditions.

$.store.book[?@.price < 10]
$.store.book[?@.price < 20 && @.inStock]
$.store.book[?@.isbn]            (existence test)

Functions

RFC 9535 defines an extensible set of functions you can use inside filters. length() returns the size of a string, array, or object; count() returns the number of nodes a query selects; match() tests a value against a full regular expression; and search() tests whether a regex matches anywhere in a string. For example, $.users[?length(@.name) > 10] selects users whose name is longer than ten characters.

A worked example

Consider a bookstore document with a store object containing a book array and a bicycle. $..price selects every price in the document, including the bicycle's. $.store.book[*].author lists all authors. $.store.book[?@.price < 10].title returns the titles of cheap books only. $.store.book[-1] grabs the last book. Building these up incrementally — start broad, then add filters — is the fastest way to land on the exact selection you need.

$..price                       → every price in the document
$.store.book[*].author         → all authors
$.store.book[?@.price < 10].title → titles of cheap books
$.store.book[-1]               → the last book

JSONPath versus jq, JMESPath, and JSON Pointer

JSONPath is one of several JSON query tools, and choosing the right one matters. jq is a full transformation language with its own syntax, ideal for reshaping data on the command line. JMESPath, used heavily by the AWS CLI, is another expression language with strong projection support. JSON Pointer (RFC 6901) is much simpler — it identifies a single value by path but cannot filter or wildcard. Reach for JSONPath when you want readable querying and filtering across a document; reach for jq when you need to transform and rebuild it.