Reach for jq when…
You need filters in a pipe: curl api | jq '.data.items[] | select(.status=="active")'. CI, automated tests, fat log jobs — that’s jq’s home turf.
On a machine where your shell is already set up, the terminal is often faster than another browser tab. Offline boxes too.
Reach for a browser formatter when…
A PM drops JSON in chat and you only need to read it. Paste into WoDeTool. No install.
QA or support needs a look without opening a terminal. Broken JSON is easier here because the bad line gets highlighted; jq just says no. After formatting you can jump to JSON Diff or JSON↔YAML on the same site.
A combo that doesn’t fight itself
Browser for overview, syntax fixes, and contract diffs. jq on servers for batch work and CI.
Share a ?input= link when a teammate needs the same payload without another copy-paste round.