# 🌍 JQ::Lite — Vision

## Overview

`JQ::Lite` is a **lightweight JSON processor and Perl module** inspired by `jq`.
Its purpose is not only to make JSON handling simple and fast, but to **liberate structured data for everyone**, empowering developers, operators, and AI systems alike.

This project aims to deliver **lightweight, open, and human- and machine-readable data processing** to every environment around the globe.

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## 🌍 1. Meeting the Global Demand for Lightweight JSON Processing

JSON is now the backbone of modern IT — from APIs to observability, configuration, and AI input.
Yet, many tools for handling JSON are heavy, language-specific, or dependent on complex runtimes.

There are countless environments that need something simpler:

* Servers, IoT nodes, and edge devices
* Air-gapped data centers or monitoring agents
* Developers who just want to parse, filter, and transform JSON easily

`JQ::Lite` is designed to meet these needs by providing a **single-file, dependency-minimal, Perl-native JSON processor** that can run anywhere — even where `jq` cannot.

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## 💾 2. Building a Common Language for Machines and Humans

The modern data world runs on **JSON**.
APIs, observability tools, AI agents — all speak it.

`JQ::Lite` embraces this by being:

* **JSON-in / JSON-out** by default
* Compatible with UNIX pipelines
* Usable both as a **CLI** and a **Perl module**

This makes it ideal for environments where data flows between systems, languages, or even humans —
from shell scripts to ChatGPT-driven AIOps pipelines.

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## 🐪 3. Reviving Perl as the Universal Data Utility Language

Perl was born for text processing.
Now, it evolves — from text to **structured data**.

`JQ::Lite` represents a **modern Perl renaissance**, where:

* Simplicity meets expressiveness
* Portability meets power
* “Just works anywhere” becomes a design philosophy

By combining classic Perl strengths with JSON-native design, `JQ::Lite` shows that **Perl still belongs at the heart of the command line**, serving as a universal, open data filter for the modern era.

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## 🌐 4. Promoting Open Data Workflows

Today, data processing often depends on **proprietary ecosystems or cloud-specific APIs**.
`JQ::Lite` breaks those boundaries.

* 100% open source, vendor-neutral
* Works offline or in restricted networks
* No cloud dependency, no installation complexity

Whether you’re processing observability data, API responses, or AI telemetry — `JQ::Lite` lets you build **open, portable, and reproducible pipelines** in text form.

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## ⚡ 5. Preparing for the Text-Driven Automation Era

We are entering the age of **Infrastructure as Text** and **Telemetry as JSON**,
where both humans and machines analyze structured data directly.

`JQ::Lite` is built for this new era:

* Enables Git-tracked data transformations
* Works perfectly with automation bots and LLMs
* Simplifies “extract → transform → decide” workflows

With `JQ::Lite`, your JSON data becomes **readable, versionable, and automatable** — a foundation for the AI-augmented operations of tomorrow.

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## 🚀 6. Evolving with the Perl Ecosystem

`JQ::Lite` doesn’t stand alone — it’s the cornerstone of a growing ecosystem.

Together with modules like `Sys::Monitor::Lite`, it creates a seamless flow:

```bash
Sys::Monitor::Lite  →  JSON metrics
      ↓
jq-lite              →  Filter / aggregate / transform
      ↓
Bot / Script / CLI   →  Notify / act / visualize
```

This enables **entire monitoring and automation stacks** to run purely in Perl,
with full transparency and zero external dependencies.

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## ✨ Summary of Global Impact

| Perspective    | Impact                                                       |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 🌍 Social      | Makes structured data accessible and processable everywhere  |
| 💾 Technical   | Bridges Perl and modern JSON ecosystems                      |
| 🐪 Perl        | Revives Perl as the universal command-line utility language  |
| ⚙️ Operational | Enables open, offline, and vendor-free data processing       |
| 🤖 Future      | Forms the basis of AI/LLM-integrated, text-driven automation |

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## 📝 Conclusion

`JQ::Lite` is not just a command-line JSON tool.
It’s a **philosophy of openness, simplicity, and universality** —
a small but powerful step toward freeing data from silos and making it usable by both humans and machines.

We hope this project inspires a **lightweight, open, Perl-powered data culture** around the world.

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© 2025 Shingo Kawamura
