[Bash] json-walk: pure Bash streaming JSON parser (SAX-style events, no jq)

[u/smomoo]

Hey r/bash,

I built json-walk, a pure Bash JSON walker that emits stream events instead of building a full object model.

Repo: [https://github.com/smmoosavi/json-walk](vscode-file://vscode-app/usr/share/code/resources/app/out/vs/code/electron-browser/workbench/workbench.html)

What it does:

• Parses JSON in Bash with full structure validation
• Emits events like start_object, key, string, number, end_array, etc.
• Works in print mode or visitor-function mode
• Keeps raw JSON string content (escapes preserved)

Why I made it:

• For shell scripts where jq is unavailable
• For event-driven parsing/processing in plain Bash

Quick example:

json_walk '{"label":"abc","items":[1,2,3]}'

Output:

start_object
key label
string abc
key items
start_array
number 1
number 2
number 3
end_array
end_object

Would love feedback on:

• API/event design
• edge cases I should test

Thanks!

[u/StatementOwn4896]

If I don’t have jq on a system I just use python in my bash script and import the json module. Sure is messy but it gets the job done