jq

Status

Version: 1.0.0 | Tests: Passing

Usage

devcontainer.json

{
    "features": {
        "ghcr.io/infrashift/trusted-devcontainer-features/jq:latest": {
            "target_version": "1.7.1"
        }
    }
}

Options

Option	Type	Default	Description
target_version	string	1.7.1	Select a supported jq version
target_checksum	string	""	SHA256 checksum for the jq binary

Dependencies

None — this feature is independent and has no dependencies.

How It Works

This feature downloads the jq binary directly from the official GitHub releases, specifically the jq-linux-amd64 artifact for the requested version. jq is a lightweight command-line JSON processor used extensively in CI/CD pipelines and shell scripts for parsing, filtering, and transforming JSON data.

The Ansible playbook downloads the binary to ~/.local/bin/jq, optionally verifies the SHA256 checksum if one is provided via the target_checksum option, and sets the executable bit. After installation, the playbook verifies that jq is working correctly by running it to confirm the installed version.

Because jq is a standalone static binary with no external dependencies, this feature has no dependency chain and installs quickly. It is one of the simplest features in the collection, making it a good reference for understanding the general pattern of binary-download features.