- 1 year ago
Output Redirection produces empty file ONLY with jq
If you're encountering an issue where output redirection, such as using the >
operator, produces an empty file when used with the jq
command, it could be due to the way jq
handles its output buffering. jq
is a command-line JSON processor that applies filters to JSON data, and it uses buffering for its output by default.
To address this issue and ensure that the output is properly redirected to a file, you can use the --unbuffered
(-u
) option in jq
. This option disables the output buffering and allows the redirected output to be written immediately.
Here's an example of how to use jq
with the --unbuffered
option:
bashjq --unbuffered '.' input.json > output.json
In this example, the jq
command reads the JSON data from input.json
, applies the .
filter (which effectively outputs the input as is), and redirects the result to output.json
. The --unbuffered
option ensures that the output is immediately written to the file.
By using the --unbuffered
option, you should be able to redirect the output of jq
correctly without ending up with an empty file.
If the issue persists or you need further assistance, please provide more details about the specific jq
command you're using and the operating system you're working on.