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JSONPath Cheatsheet: Complete Syntax Reference with Examples (2026)

JSONPath is the standard way to query and extract data from JSON documents. Think of it as SQL for JSON, or XPath for JSON. This cheatsheet covers every operator, expression, and pattern you'll encounter — with real examples for each.

Quick Reference: All JSONPath Operators

Sample JSON for All Examples

All examples below use this JSON document:

{
  "store": {
    "name": "The Book Shop",
    "books": [
      { "title": "Clean Code", "author": "Robert Martin", "price": 29.99, "category": "programming", "tags": ["code", "best-practices"] },
      { "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer", "author": "David Thomas", "price": 35.00, "category": "programming" },
      { "title": "Design Patterns", "author": "GoF", "price": 49.99, "category": "architecture" },
      { "title": "JavaScript: The Good Parts", "author": "Douglas Crockford", "price": 19.99, "category": "javascript" }
    ],
    "manager": { "name": "Jane Doe", "email": "jane@bookshop.com" }
  },
  "currency": "USD"
}

Basic Path Navigation

Access a direct child

$.currency
// Result: "USD"

$.store.name
// Result: "The Book Shop"

$.store.manager.email
// Result: "jane@bookshop.com"

Access array elements by index

$.store.books[0]
// Result: { "title": "Clean Code", "author": "Robert Martin", ... }

$.store.books[0].title
// Result: "Clean Code"

$.store.books[-1].title
// Result: "JavaScript: The Good Parts"  (last element)

Wildcards

The * wildcard matches all children of an element:

$.store.books[*].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", "Design Patterns", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

$.store.books[*].price
// Result: [29.99, 35.00, 49.99, 19.99]

$.store.*
// Result: all values inside store (books array, manager object)

Recursive Descent (..)

The .. operator searches recursively at any depth:

$..title
// Result: all title properties anywhere in the document
// ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", "Design Patterns", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

$..name
// Result: ["The Book Shop", "Jane Doe"]  — finds name at any level

$..price
// Result: [29.99, 35.00, 49.99, 19.99]

Array Slicing

Array slices work like Python slices — [start:end:step]:

$.store.books[0:2]
// Result: first 2 books (index 0 and 1)

$.store.books[1:]
// Result: all books from index 1 onwards

$.store.books[:2]
// Result: first 2 books (same as [0:2])

$.store.books[::2]
// Result: every 2nd book (index 0, 2)

$.store.books[-2:]
// Result: last 2 books

Multiple Indexes (Union)

$.store.books[0,3].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

$.store.books[0]['title','author']
// Result: { "title": "Clean Code", "author": "Robert Martin" }

Filter Expressions

Filter expressions use ?(@.field operator value) syntax. @ refers to the current array item:

Filter by existence

$.store.books[?(@.tags)]
// Result: books that HAVE a tags property
// [{ "title": "Clean Code", ..., "tags": ["code", "best-practices"] }]

Filter by comparison

$.store.books[?(@.price < 30)].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

$.store.books[?(@.price >= 35)].title
// Result: ["The Pragmatic Programmer", "Design Patterns"]

$.store.books[?(@.price == 19.99)].title
// Result: ["JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

Filter by string equality

$.store.books[?(@.category == "programming")].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer"]

$.store.books[?(@.author != "GoF")].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

Multiple conditions (AND / OR)

$.store.books[?(@.price < 40 && @.category == "programming")].title
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer"]

$.store.books[?(@.price > 45 || @.category == "javascript")].title
// Result: ["Design Patterns", "JavaScript: The Good Parts"]

Bracket Notation vs Dot Notation

JSONPath supports both dot and bracket notation. They are equivalent:

Dot Notation	Bracket Notation	Notes
$.store.name	$['store']['name']	Standard access
$.store.books[0]	$['store']['books'][0]	Array index
N/A	$['my-key']	Keys with hyphens need brackets
N/A	$['key with spaces']	Keys with spaces need brackets

Complete Reference Table

Expression	Description	Example Result
$	Root object	Entire document
$.store	Direct child	The store object
$.store.*	All children of store	books array, manager, name
$..title	All titles anywhere	Array of all title values
$.store.books[0]	First book	Clean Code object
$.store.books[-1]	Last book	JS Good Parts object
$.store.books[*].price	All prices	[29.99, 35, 49.99, 19.99]
$.store.books[0:2]	First 2 books	Array of 2 books
$.store.books[?(@.price<30)]	Books under $30	Clean Code, JS Good Parts
$.store.books[?(@.tags)]	Books with tags	Clean Code only
$.store.books[0,2]	Book at index 0 and 2	Two specific books

JSONPath in Different Languages

JSONPath is implemented in many languages. Here's how to use it:

JavaScript / Node.js

// Using jsonpath-plus (npm install jsonpath-plus)
import { JSONPath } from 'jsonpath-plus';

const titles = JSONPath({ path: '$.store.books[*].title', json: data });
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", ...]

Python

# Using jsonpath-ng (pip install jsonpath-ng)
from jsonpath_ng import parse

expr = parse('$.store.books[*].title')
matches = [match.value for match in expr.find(data)]
# Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", ...]

Java (Spring / Jayway)

// Using Jayway JSONPath (Maven: com.jayway.jsonpath:json-path)
import com.jayway.jsonpath.JsonPath;

List<String> titles = JsonPath.read(json, "$.store.books[*].title");
// Result: ["Clean Code", "The Pragmatic Programmer", ...]

Go

// Using github.com/PaesslerAG/jsonpath
import "github.com/PaesslerAG/jsonpath"

result, _ := jsonpath.Get("$.store.books[*].title", data)

Common JSONPath Patterns

These are the patterns developers use most often:

Task	JSONPath
Get all IDs	$..id
Get first item in every array	$..[0]
Find active users	$.users[?(@.active == true)]
Users over 18	$.users[?(@.age >= 18)]
Items with price in range	$.items[?(@.price >= 10 && @.price <= 50)]
All leaf node values	$..*
Count items (length)	$.items.length
Non-null field	$.users[?(@.email != null)]

JSONPath vs XPath Comparison

Feature	JSONPath	XPath
Root	$	/
Child	.	/
Recursive	..	//
Wildcard	*	*
Current node	@	.
Filter	[?(@.x > 1)]	[@x>1]
Array index	[0]	[1] (1-based)
Parent axis	Not supported	..

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tools & Guides

JSONPath Online Evaluator  |  JSON Schema Tutorial  |  How to Validate JSON  |  JSON vs XML  |  JSON Formatter  |  Full JSON Cheatsheet