---
id: json-spec
version: "0.12.0"
license: BSD-3-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# json-spec — Implements JSON Schema, JSON Pointer and JSON Reference.

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 455.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

json-spec is a library and CLI tool that implements three JSON specifications: JSON Schema for validation, JSON Pointer for navigating document paths, and JSON Reference for resolving references within JSON structures. It provides both a programmatic API for Python scripts and command-line commands (json add, json check, json copy, json extract, json move, json remove, json replace, json validate) for JSON document manipulation.

The library works with Python 3.10 and above and has minimal dependencies, making it straightforward to install. You can use it to validate data against schemas, extract nested values by path, resolve cross-references, and transform JSON documents. Optional extras like [cli] and [ip] enable additional features such as colorized output and IP format support for JSON Schema.

Use it for:

- Validate incoming API payloads or configuration files against a JSON Schema before processing.
- Extract specific nested values from large JSON documents using JSON Pointer paths.
- Resolve $ref references in JSON documents to follow and validate linked schemas.
- Transform JSON documents via CLI commands (add, remove, replace, move) in shell scripts or pipelines.
- Test JSON data structures programmatically in unit tests using schema validation.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Implements JSON Schema, JSON Pointer, and JSON Reference specifications to validate, navigate, and resolve JSON documents programmatically or via CLI.

Yes, if you need JSON Schema validation or JSON Pointer/Reference support and can tolerate dormant maintenance. The low install friction, permissive license, no known vulnerabilities, and stable API make it suitable for established projects. Not recommended if you require active maintenance or expect frequent updates to JSON specification support.

## Install

pip install json-spec
uv add json-spec
poetry add json-spec

## Installing json-spec

Before you install: Low friction installation with a single runtime dependency (importlib-metadata). Dormant maintenance status—last release 2024-04-29, last commit 2024-06-12—means no active development but the codebase remains stable and archived repository is not flagged.

License in practice: BSD-3-Clause permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must include a copy of the license and retain copyright notices.

Quickstart:

pip install json-spec

from jsonspec.pointer import extract
obj = {'foo': ['bar', 'baz', 'quux']}
result = extract(obj, '/foo/1')

Verify before relying:

- Whether the dormant maintenance status affects long-term compatibility with future Python versions beyond 3.12.
- Performance characteristics when validating large or deeply nested JSON documents.

## Package facts

- License: BSD-3-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 455.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

json schema validation, json pointer navigation, json reference resolution, json document manipulation, json validation library, json path extraction, json cli tools, json-validation, schema-validation, cli-tool

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