JSONPath Bracket Notation ($["key"])

Bracket Notation in JSONPath

Bracket notation uses square brackets and quoted strings to access object properties. It is the more versatile alternative to dot notation and is required when property names contain special characters.

Syntax

$["propertyName"]
$["parent"]["child"]

When to Use Bracket Notation

Given this JSON:

{
  "first-name": "Alice",
  "last name": "Smith",
  "2024-revenue": 50000,
  "tags": ["developer", "speaker"]
}

• $["first-name"] returns "Alice" (hyphen in key)
• $["last name"] returns "Smith" (space in key)
• $["2024-revenue"] returns 50000 (starts with a digit)

None of these would work with dot notation because the property names are not valid JavaScript identifiers.

Combining with Dot Notation

You can freely mix both notations in a single expression:

$.users[0]["first-name"]
$.config["api-keys"].production

Multiple Keys (Union)

Bracket notation also supports selecting multiple properties at once:

$["first-name", "last name"]

This returns both values in a single result array.

Key Considerations

• Always use quotes — single or double quotes around the property name, depending on the implementation.
• Escaped quotes — if the property name itself contains quotes, escape them: $["say \"hello\""].
• Interchangeable with dot notation — for simple names, $.name and $["name"] are equivalent.

Bracket notation ensures you can access any property regardless of its naming conventions, making it indispensable when working with real-world JSON data that may not follow strict naming rules.