/jout

Jout reimplements classic Unix tools with JSON output by design

Primary LanguageGoMIT LicenseMIT

jout

Jout reimplements classic Unix utilities with JSON output by design. Use jout ls, jout ps, etc., and receive stable, well-defined JSON that’s safe for scripts, logs, and APIs.

  • Familiar subcommands (ls, ps, …)
  • Stable, documented schemas
  • ISO 8601 times, byte-accurate sizes
  • Works great with fx and jq
# Files as JSON
jout ls /var/log

# Processes as JSON
jout ps --user "$USER"

Tools

  • ls
    • Linux
    • Mac
    • Windows
  • ps
    • Linux
    • Mac
    • Windows
  • top
  • pstree
  • ping
  • traceroute
  • nslookup
  • dig
  • host
  • whois
  • ifconfig
  • iwconfig
  • route
  • arp
  • ss
  • hostname
  • mtr
  • df
  • du

Versioning policy

  • We do not ship breaking changes; public behavior and JSON schemas remain backward-compatible.
  • From v1.0 onward, JSON schemas are stable: no breaking changes within 1.x (additive changes only).

Timeline

v0.x (pre-1.0)

Focus: Build out features and stabilize schemas.
Key work:

  • Expand command set.
  • Iterate on and validate JSON schemas.
  • Improve docs, and tooling.

v1.0 (2026)

Milestone: JSON schema freeze and stability commitment.
Outcome: Applications built against 1.0 schemas continue to work across all 1.x releases.

v1.x (2026+)

Guarantees:

  • No breaking changes to JSON schemas.
  • Backward-compatible, additive enhancements (new optional fields/commands, non-breaking defaults).

License

MIT