docs: document non-UTF-8 encoding behavior in JSON output#355
Merged
jiegec merged 1 commit intolsof-org:masterfrom Mar 13, 2026
Merged
docs: document non-UTF-8 encoding behavior in JSON output#355jiegec merged 1 commit intolsof-org:masterfrom
jiegec merged 1 commit intolsof-org:masterfrom
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Unix file names are arbitrary byte sequences and may contain bytes that are not valid UTF-8. The JSON output modes (-J/-j) pass such bytes through unchanged, producing output that is not strictly RFC 8259 conformant but preserves original file names. This is consistent with lsfd(1), ip(8) -j, and other Linux tools. Document this behavior in the man page (Lsof.8), docs/options.md, docs/tutorial.md, and add a source comment on json_puts_escaped(). Closes lsof-org#354
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Summary
Lsof.8) under-J/-jflags-J/-joptions with UTF-8 note todocs/options.mddocs/tutorial.mdwith full JSON section including encoding caveatjson_puts_escaped()insrc/print.cexplaining the trade-offMotivation
As noted by @stephane-chazelas in #353 and tracked in #354: Unix file names are arbitrary byte sequences and may contain bytes that are not valid UTF-8. The JSON output modes (
-J/-j) pass such bytes through unchanged, producing output that is not strictly RFC 8259 conformant but preserves original file names. This is the same approach taken bylsfd(1),ip(8) -j,systemctl --output=json, and other Linux tools.This behavior is worth documenting so users know what to expect and how to handle it if strict UTF-8 is required (e.g.
iconvor Python'ssurrogateescape).See https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/757832/ for background.
Closes #354