System requirements
Supported operating systems
Section titled “Supported operating systems”| System | Versions | Processor |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 and Windows 11 | 64-bit (x64) |
| macOS | macOS 10.13 or later | Apple silicon or Intel |
| Linux | Distributions as recent as Ubuntu 24.04 | 64-bit (x64) |
On Windows, JSON Digger needs Microsoft Edge WebView2, which the installer downloads if it is missing. On Linux, it needs WebKitGTK 4.1 and GTK 3, which the .deb and .rpm packages install. See Install JSON Digger.
The window needs a screen of at least 1000 × 700 pixels.
Memory and disk space
Section titled “Memory and disk space”JSON Digger reads a file from disk as you browse it instead of loading it, so opening a large file needs little memory: tens of megabytes even for a 10 GB file, as measured in Performance. Two kinds of feature need more:
- SQL queries: up to the SQL memory limit, 1,024 MiB by default. You can set it from 512 MiB to 80% of the computer’s memory. See SQL queries.
- jq, JSONPath, and schema validation: these load the data they work on into memory. See Limits.
Disk space matters when JSON Digger writes a file:
- Editing: each edit writes a complete copy of the file next to it, and up to three copies stay there until you save. Before each edit, the file’s drive needs free space for the edited file plus 20%. See How editing works.
- Compressed files: a
.gzor.zstfile is decompressed into the app’s cache folder first, so the drive needs room for the decompressed file. See Open files. - Index cache: each file you open adds an index to the app data folder. See Index cache.
Data folders
Section titled “Data folders”JSON Digger keeps its settings and caches in two folders named after its identifier, com.json-digger.app:
| Folder | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| App data | %APPDATA%\com.json-digger.app |
~/Library/Application Support/com.json-digger.app |
~/.local/share/com.json-digger.app |
| Cache | %LOCALAPPDATA%\com.json-digger.app |
~/Library/Caches/com.json-digger.app |
~/.cache/com.json-digger.app |
On Linux, $XDG_DATA_HOME and $XDG_CACHE_HOME replace ~/.local/share and ~/.cache when they are set.
Index cache
Section titled “Index cache”The indexes folder in the app data folder holds one index per file you have opened. When you open the same file again, JSON Digger uses its saved index, so a large file opens almost at once. When the file has changed, it is indexed again. jdig uses the same folder, so a file indexed by one app opens fast in the other.
The index cache has no size limit and no button to clear it. To reclaim the space, close JSON Digger and delete the indexes folder. Files you open afterwards are indexed again.
Other app data
Section titled “Other app data”The app data folder also holds:
preferences.json: your preferences. Preferences → Advanced → Preferences File → Open File opens it in your default editor.workspace.jsonand theworkspacesfolder: the last session and your named workspaces.recent_files.json: the last 10 files and URLs you opened.pipelines: saved Analyze view pipelines.edits: what JSON Digger needs to recover edits after a crash.crash-reports: reports written when the app fails. Preferences → Advanced → Clear Crash Reports deletes them.
Cache folder
Section titled “Cache folder”The cache folder holds files JSON Digger can recreate. The largest are the decompressed copies of .gz and .zst files in the decompressed folder. To see when they are deleted and how to delete them sooner, see Compressed files.
The cache folder also holds temporary files for merged documents, SQL queries, nodes opened in their own window, and frozen live streams. JSON Digger deletes them when they are no longer needed, or the next time it starts.