cli: add -json flag to support job commands (#12591)

* cli: add -json flag to support job commands

While the CLI has always supported running JSON jobs, its support has
been via HCLv2's JSON parsing. I have no idea what format it expects the
job to be in, but it's absolutely not in the same format as the API
expects.

So I ignored that and added a new -json flag to explicitly support *API*
style JSON jobspecs.

The jobspecs can even have the wrapping {"Job": {...}} envelope or not!

* docs: fix example for `nomad job validate`

We haven't been able to validate inside driver config stanzas ever since
the move to task driver plugins. 😭

.changelog/12591.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:improvement
+cli: Added -json flag to `nomad job {run,plan,validate}` to support parsing JSON formatted jobs
+```

command/helpers.go

@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ package command
 import (
 	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 	gg "github.com/hashicorp/go-getter"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/api"
+	flaghelper "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/flags"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/jobspec"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/jobspec2"
 	"github.com/kr/text"
@@ -379,19 +380,54 @@ READ:
 	return l.ReadCloser.Read(p)
 }
 
+// JobGetter provides helpers for retrieving and parsing a jobpsec.
 type JobGetter struct {
-	hcl1 bool
+	HCL1     bool
+	Vars     flaghelper.StringFlag
+	VarFiles flaghelper.StringFlag
+	Strict   bool
+	JSON     bool
 
 	// The fields below can be overwritten for tests
 	testStdin io.Reader
 }
 
+func (j *JobGetter) Validate() error {
+	if j.HCL1 && j.Strict {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot parse job file as HCLv1 and HCLv2 strict.")
+	}
+	if j.HCL1 && j.JSON {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot parse job file as HCL and JSON.")
+	}
+	if len(j.Vars) > 0 && j.JSON {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot use variables with JSON files.")
+	}
+	if len(j.VarFiles) > 0 && j.JSON {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot use variables with JSON files.")
+	}
+	if len(j.Vars) > 0 && j.HCL1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot use variables with HCLv1.")
+	}
+	if len(j.VarFiles) > 0 && j.HCL1 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot use variables with HCLv1.")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // ApiJob returns the Job struct from jobfile.
 func (j *JobGetter) ApiJob(jpath string) (*api.Job, error) {
 	return j.ApiJobWithArgs(jpath, nil, nil, true)
 }
 
 func (j *JobGetter) ApiJobWithArgs(jpath string, vars []string, varfiles []string, strict bool) (*api.Job, error) {
+	j.Vars = vars
+	j.VarFiles = varfiles
+	j.Strict = strict
+
+	return j.Get(jpath)
+}
+
+func (j *JobGetter) Get(jpath string) (*api.Job, error) {
 	var jobfile io.Reader
 	pathName := filepath.Base(jpath)
 	switch jpath {
@@ -401,19 +437,19 @@ func (j *JobGetter) ApiJobWithArgs(jpath string, vars []string, varfiles []strin
 		} else {
 			jobfile = os.Stdin
 		}
-		pathName = "stdin.hcl"
+		pathName = "stdin"
 	default:
 		if len(jpath) == 0 {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error jobfile path has to be specified.")
 		}
 
-		job, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "jobfile")
+		jobFile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "jobfile")
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		defer os.Remove(job.Name())
+		defer os.Remove(jobFile.Name())
 
-		if err := job.Close(); err != nil {
+		if err := jobFile.Close(); err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
@@ -426,13 +462,13 @@ func (j *JobGetter) ApiJobWithArgs(jpath string, vars []string, varfiles []strin
 		client := &gg.Client{
 			Src: jpath,
 			Pwd: pwd,
-			Dst: job.Name(),
+			Dst: jobFile.Name(),
 		}
 
 		if err := client.Get(); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error getting jobfile from %q: %v", jpath, err)
 		} else {
-			file, err := os.Open(job.Name())
+			file, err := os.Open(jobFile.Name())
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error opening file %q: %v", jpath, err)
 			}
@@ -444,9 +480,27 @@ func (j *JobGetter) ApiJobWithArgs(jpath string, vars []string, varfiles []strin
 	// Parse the JobFile
 	var jobStruct *api.Job
 	var err error
-	if j.hcl1 {
+	switch {
+	case j.HCL1:
 		jobStruct, err = jobspec.Parse(jobfile)
-	} else {
+	case j.JSON:
+		// Support JSON files with both a top-level Job key as well as
+		// ones without.
+		eitherJob := struct {
+			NestedJob *api.Job `json:"Job"`
+			api.Job
+		}{}
+
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(jobfile).Decode(&eitherJob); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Failed to parse JSON job: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		if eitherJob.NestedJob != nil {
+			jobStruct = eitherJob.NestedJob
+		} else {
+			jobStruct = &eitherJob.Job
+		}
+	default:
 		var buf bytes.Buffer
 		_, err = io.Copy(&buf, jobfile)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -455,11 +509,11 @@ func (j *JobGetter) ApiJobWithArgs(jpath string, vars []string, varfiles []strin
 		jobStruct, err = jobspec2.ParseWithConfig(&jobspec2.ParseConfig{
 			Path:     pathName,
 			Body:     buf.Bytes(),
-			ArgVars:  vars,
+			ArgVars:  j.Vars,
 			AllowFS:  true,
-			VarFiles: varfiles,
+			VarFiles: j.VarFiles,
 			Envs:     os.Environ(),
-			Strict:   strict,
+			Strict:   j.Strict,
 		})
 
 		if err != nil {

command/helpers_test.go

@@ -451,6 +451,84 @@ func TestJobGetter_HTTPServer(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestJobGetter_Validate(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name        string
+		jg          JobGetter
+		errContains string
+	}{
+		{
+			"StrictAndHCL1",
+			JobGetter{
+				HCL1:   true,
+				Strict: true,
+			},
+			"HCLv1 and HCLv2 strict",
+		},
+		{
+			"JSONandHCL1",
+			JobGetter{
+				HCL1: true,
+				JSON: true,
+			},
+			"HCL and JSON",
+		},
+		{
+			"VarsAndHCL1",
+			JobGetter{
+				HCL1: true,
+				Vars: []string{"foo"},
+			},
+			"variables with HCLv1",
+		},
+		{
+			"VarFilesAndHCL1",
+			JobGetter{
+				HCL1:     true,
+				VarFiles: []string{"foo.var"},
+			},
+			"variables with HCLv1",
+		},
+		{
+			"VarsAndJSON",
+			JobGetter{
+				JSON: true,
+				Vars: []string{"foo"},
+			},
+			"variables with JSON",
+		},
+		{
+			"VarFilesAndJSON",
+			JobGetter{
+				JSON:     true,
+				VarFiles: []string{"foo.var"},
+			},
+			"variables with JSON files",
+		},
+		{
+			"JSON_OK",
+			JobGetter{
+				JSON: true,
+			},
+			"",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := tc.jg.Validate()
+
+			switch tc.errContains {
+			case "":
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			default:
+				require.ErrorContains(t, err, tc.errContains)
+			}
+
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPrettyTimeDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	// Grab the time and truncate to the nearest second. This allows our tests
 	// to be deterministic since we don't have to worry about rounding.

command/job_plan.go

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/api"
-	flaghelper "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/flags"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/scheduler"
 	"github.com/posener/complete"
 )
@@ -76,6 +75,11 @@ Plan Options:
     Determines whether the diff between the remote job and planned job is shown.
     Defaults to true.
 
+  -json
+    Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field, such as
+    from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the field is
+    used as the job.
+
   -hcl1
     Parses the job file as HCLv1.
 
@@ -109,6 +113,7 @@ func (c *JobPlanCommand) AutocompleteFlags() complete.Flags {
 			"-diff":            complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-policy-override": complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-verbose":         complete.PredictNothing,
+			"-json":            complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-hcl1":            complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-hcl2-strict":     complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-var":             complete.PredictAnything,
@@ -117,23 +122,27 @@ func (c *JobPlanCommand) AutocompleteFlags() complete.Flags {
 }
 
 func (c *JobPlanCommand) AutocompleteArgs() complete.Predictor {
-	return complete.PredictOr(complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"), complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"))
+	return complete.PredictOr(
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.json"),
+	)
 }
 
 func (c *JobPlanCommand) Name() string { return "job plan" }
 func (c *JobPlanCommand) Run(args []string) int {
-	var diff, policyOverride, verbose, hcl2Strict bool
+	var diff, policyOverride, verbose bool
-	var varArgs, varFiles flaghelper.StringFlag
 
 	flagSet := c.Meta.FlagSet(c.Name(), FlagSetClient)
 	flagSet.Usage = func() { c.Ui.Output(c.Help()) }
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&diff, "diff", true, "")
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&policyOverride, "policy-override", false, "")
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&verbose, "verbose", false, "")
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.hcl1, "hcl1", false, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.JSON, "json", false, "")
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&hcl2Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.HCL1, "hcl1", false, "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varArgs, "var", "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varFiles, "var-file", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.Vars, "var", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.VarFiles, "var-file", "")
 
 	if err := flagSet.Parse(args); err != nil {
 		return 255
@@ -147,9 +156,14 @@ func (c *JobPlanCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 		return 255
 	}
 
+	if err := c.JobGetter.Validate(); err != nil {
+		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Invalid job options: %s", err))
+		return 1
+	}
+
 	path := args[0]
 	// Get Job struct from Jobfile
-	job, err := c.JobGetter.ApiJobWithArgs(args[0], varArgs, varFiles, hcl2Strict)
+	job, err := c.JobGetter.Get(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Error getting job struct: %s", err))
 		return 255
@@ -193,11 +207,11 @@ func (c *JobPlanCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 	}
 
 	runArgs := strings.Builder{}
-	for _, varArg := range varArgs {
+	for _, varArg := range c.JobGetter.Vars {
 		runArgs.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("-var=%q ", varArg))
 	}
 
-	for _, varFile := range varFiles {
+	for _, varFile := range c.JobGetter.VarFiles {
 		runArgs.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("-var-file=%q ", varFile))
 	}
 

command/job_plan_test.go

@@ -255,3 +255,19 @@ func TestPlanCommad_Preemptions(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Contains(out, "batch")
 	require.Contains(out, "service")
 }
+
+func TestPlanCommad_JSON(t *testing.T) {
+	ui := cli.NewMockUi()
+	cmd := &JobPlanCommand{
+		Meta: Meta{Ui: ui},
+	}
+
+	args := []string{
+		"-address=http://nope",
+		"-json",
+		"testdata/example-short.json",
+	}
+	code := cmd.Run(args)
+	require.Equal(t, 255, code)
+	require.Contains(t, ui.ErrorWriter.String(), "Error during plan: Put")
+}

command/job_run.go

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/api"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper"
-	flaghelper "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/flags"
 	"github.com/posener/complete"
 )
 
@@ -90,6 +89,11 @@ Run Options:
     Override the priority of the evaluations produced as a result of this job
     submission. By default, this is set to the priority of the job.
 
+  -json
+    Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field, such as
+    from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the field is
+    used as the job.
+
   -hcl1
     Parses the job file as HCLv1.
 
@@ -158,6 +162,7 @@ func (c *JobRunCommand) AutocompleteFlags() complete.Flags {
 			"-output":          complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-policy-override": complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-preserve-counts": complete.PredictNothing,
+			"-json":            complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-hcl1":            complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-hcl2-strict":     complete.PredictNothing,
 			"-var":             complete.PredictAnything,
@@ -167,15 +172,18 @@ func (c *JobRunCommand) AutocompleteFlags() complete.Flags {
 }
 
 func (c *JobRunCommand) AutocompleteArgs() complete.Predictor {
-	return complete.PredictOr(complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"), complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"))
+	return complete.PredictOr(
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.json"),
+	)
 }
 
 func (c *JobRunCommand) Name() string { return "job run" }
 
 func (c *JobRunCommand) Run(args []string) int {
-	var detach, verbose, output, override, preserveCounts, hcl2Strict bool
+	var detach, verbose, output, override, preserveCounts bool
 	var checkIndexStr, consulToken, consulNamespace, vaultToken, vaultNamespace string
-	var varArgs, varFiles flaghelper.StringFlag
 	var evalPriority int
 
 	flagSet := c.Meta.FlagSet(c.Name(), FlagSetClient)
@@ -185,15 +193,16 @@ func (c *JobRunCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&output, "output", false, "")
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&override, "policy-override", false, "")
 	flagSet.BoolVar(&preserveCounts, "preserve-counts", false, "")
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.hcl1, "hcl1", false, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.JSON, "json", false, "")
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&hcl2Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.HCL1, "hcl1", false, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
 	flagSet.StringVar(&checkIndexStr, "check-index", "", "")
 	flagSet.StringVar(&consulToken, "consul-token", "", "")
 	flagSet.StringVar(&consulNamespace, "consul-namespace", "", "")
 	flagSet.StringVar(&vaultToken, "vault-token", "", "")
 	flagSet.StringVar(&vaultNamespace, "vault-namespace", "", "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varArgs, "var", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.Vars, "var", "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varFiles, "var-file", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.VarFiles, "var-file", "")
 	flagSet.IntVar(&evalPriority, "eval-priority", 0, "")
 
 	if err := flagSet.Parse(args); err != nil {
@@ -214,8 +223,13 @@ func (c *JobRunCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 		return 1
 	}
 
+	if err := c.JobGetter.Validate(); err != nil {
+		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Invalid job options: %s", err))
+		return 1
+	}
+
 	// Get Job struct from Jobfile
-	job, err := c.JobGetter.ApiJobWithArgs(args[0], varArgs, varFiles, hcl2Strict)
+	job, err := c.JobGetter.Get(args[0])
 	if err != nil {
 		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Error getting job struct: %s", err))
 		return 1

command/job_run_test.go

@@ -1,20 +1,22 @@
 package command
 
 import (
+	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/ci"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/testutil"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/cli"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
-func TestRunCommand_Implements(t *testing.T) {
+var _ cli.Command = (*JobRunCommand)(nil)
-	ci.Parallel(t)
-	var _ cli.Command = &JobRunCommand{}
-}
 
 func TestRunCommand_Output_Json(t *testing.T) {
 	ci.Parallel(t)
@@ -215,3 +217,65 @@ func TestRunCommand_From_URL(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected error getting jobfile, got: %s", out)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestRunCommand_JSON asserts that `nomad job run -json` accepts JSON jobs
+// with or without a top level Job key.
+func TestRunCommand_JSON(t *testing.T) {
+	ci.Parallel(t)
+	run := func(args ...string) (stdout string, stderr string, code int) {
+		ui := cli.NewMockUi()
+		cmd := &JobRunCommand{
+			Meta: Meta{Ui: ui},
+		}
+		t.Logf("run: nomad job run %s", strings.Join(args, " "))
+		code = cmd.Run(args)
+		return ui.OutputWriter.String(), ui.ErrorWriter.String(), code
+	}
+
+	// Agent startup is slow, do some work while we wait
+	agentReady := make(chan string)
+	go func() {
+		_, _, addr := testServer(t, false, nil)
+		agentReady <- addr
+	}()
+
+	// First convert HCL -> JSON with -output
+	stdout, stderr, code := run("-output", "assets/example-short.nomad")
+	require.Zero(t, code, stderr)
+	require.Empty(t, stderr)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, stdout)
+	t.Logf("run -output==> %s...", stdout[:12])
+
+	jsonFile := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "redis.json")
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(jsonFile, []byte(stdout), 0o640))
+
+	// Wait for agent to start and get its address
+	addr := ""
+	select {
+	case addr = <-agentReady:
+	case <-time.After(10 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatalf("timed out waiting for agent to start")
+	}
+
+	// Submit JSON
+	stdout, stderr, code = run("-detach", "-address", addr, "-json", jsonFile)
+	require.Zero(t, code, stderr)
+	require.Empty(t, stderr)
+
+	// Read the JSON from the API as it omits the Job envelope and
+	// therefore differs from -output
+	resp, err := http.Get(addr + "/v1/job/example")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	buf, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, resp.Body.Close())
+	require.NotEmpty(t, buf)
+	t.Logf("/v1/job/example==> %s...", string(buf[:12]))
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(jsonFile, buf, 0o640))
+
+	// Submit JSON
+	stdout, stderr, code = run("-detach", "-address", addr, "-json", jsonFile)
+	require.Zerof(t, code, "stderr: %s\njson: %s\n", stderr, string(buf))
+	require.Empty(t, stderr)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, stdout)
+}

command/job_validate.go

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/api"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/command/agent"
-	flaghelper "github.com/hashicorp/nomad/helper/flags"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
 	"github.com/posener/complete"
 )
@@ -32,8 +31,17 @@ Alias: nomad validate
   When ACLs are enabled, this command requires a token with the 'read-job'
   capability for the job's namespace.
 
+General Options:
+
+  ` + generalOptionsUsage(usageOptsDefault) + `
+
 Validate Options:
 
+  -json
+    Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field, such as
+    from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the field is
+    used as the job.
+
   -hcl1
     Parses the job file as HCLv1.
 
@@ -65,21 +73,23 @@ func (c *JobValidateCommand) AutocompleteFlags() complete.Flags {
 }
 
 func (c *JobValidateCommand) AutocompleteArgs() complete.Predictor {
-	return complete.PredictOr(complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"), complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"))
+	return complete.PredictOr(
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.nomad"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.hcl"),
+		complete.PredictFiles("*.json"),
+	)
 }
 
 func (c *JobValidateCommand) Name() string { return "job validate" }
 
 func (c *JobValidateCommand) Run(args []string) int {
-	var varArgs, varFiles flaghelper.StringFlag
+	flagSet := c.Meta.FlagSet(c.Name(), FlagSetClient)
-	var hcl2Strict bool
-
-	flagSet := c.Meta.FlagSet(c.Name(), FlagSetNone)
 	flagSet.Usage = func() { c.Ui.Output(c.Help()) }
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.hcl1, "hcl1", false, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.JSON, "json", false, "")
-	flagSet.BoolVar(&hcl2Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.HCL1, "hcl1", false, "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varArgs, "var", "")
+	flagSet.BoolVar(&c.JobGetter.Strict, "hcl2-strict", true, "")
-	flagSet.Var(&varFiles, "var-file", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.Vars, "var", "")
+	flagSet.Var(&c.JobGetter.VarFiles, "var-file", "")
 
 	if err := flagSet.Parse(args); err != nil {
 		return 1
@@ -93,8 +103,13 @@ func (c *JobValidateCommand) Run(args []string) int {
 		return 1
 	}
 
+	if err := c.JobGetter.Validate(); err != nil {
+		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Invalid job options: %s", err))
+		return 1
+	}
+
 	// Get Job struct from Jobfile
-	job, err := c.JobGetter.ApiJobWithArgs(args[0], varArgs, varFiles, hcl2Strict)
+	job, err := c.JobGetter.Get(args[0])
 	if err != nil {
 		c.Ui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Error getting job struct: %s", err))
 		return 1

command/job_validate_test.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/ci"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/testutil"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/cli"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestValidateCommand_Implements(t *testing.T) {
@@ -176,3 +177,24 @@ func TestValidateCommand_From_URL(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected error getting jobfile, got: %s", out)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestValidateCommand_JSON(t *testing.T) {
+	ci.Parallel(t)
+
+	_, _, addr := testServer(t, false, nil)
+
+	ui := cli.NewMockUi()
+	cmd := &JobValidateCommand{
+		Meta: Meta{Ui: ui},
+	}
+
+	code := cmd.Run([]string{"-address", addr, "-json", "testdata/example-short.json"})
+
+	require.Zerof(t, code, "stdout: %s\nstdout: %s\n",
+		ui.OutputWriter.String(), ui.ErrorWriter.String())
+
+	code = cmd.Run([]string{"-address", addr, "-json", "testdata/example-short-bad.json"})
+
+	require.Equalf(t, 1, code, "stdout: %s\nstdout: %s\n",
+		ui.OutputWriter.String(), ui.ErrorWriter.String())
+}

command/testdata/example-short-bad.json

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+{
+    "Job": {
+        "Region": null,
+        "Namespace": null,
+        "ID": "example",
+        "Name": "example",
+        "Type": null,
+        "Priority": null,
+        "AllAtOnce": null,
+        "Constraints": null,
+        "Affinities": null,
+        "TaskGroups": [
+            {
+                "Name": "cache",
+                "Count": null,
+                "Constraints": null,
+                "Affinities": null,
+                "Tasks": [
+                    {
+                        "Name": "redis",
+                        "Driver": "docker",
+                        "User": "",
+                        "Lifecycle": null,
+                        "Config": {
+                            "auth_soft_fail": true,
+                            "image": "redis:3.2",
+                            "ports": [
+                                "db"
+                            ]
+                        },
+                        "Constraints": null,
+                        "Affinities": null,
+                        "Env": null,
+                        "Services": null,
+                        "Resources": {
+                            "CPU": 500,
+                            "Cores": null,
+                            "MemoryMB": 256,
+                            "MemoryMaxMB": null,
+                            "DiskMB": null,
+                            "Networks": null,
+                            "Devices": null,
+                            "IOPS": null
+                        },
+                        "RestartPolicy": null,
+                        "Meta": null,
+                        "KillTimeout": null,
+                        "LogConfig": null,
+                        "Artifacts": null,
+                        "Vault": null,
+                        "Templates": null,
+                        "DispatchPayload": null,
+                        "VolumeMounts": null,
+                        "Leader": false,
+                        "ShutdownDelay": 0,
+                        "KillSignal": "",
+                        "Kind": "",
+                        "ScalingPolicies": null
+                    }
+                ],
+                "Spreads": null,
+                "Volumes": null,
+                "RestartPolicy": null,
+                "ReschedulePolicy": null,
+                "EphemeralDisk": null,
+                "Update": null,
+                "Migrate": null,
+                "Networks": [
+                    {
+                        "Mode": "",
+                        "Device": "",
+                        "CIDR": "",
+                        "IP": "",
+                        "DNS": null,
+                        "ReservedPorts": null,
+                        "DynamicPorts": [
+                            {
+                                "Label": "db",
+                                "Value": 0,
+                                "To": 6379,
+                                "HostNetwork": ""
+                            }
+                        ],
+                        "Hostname": "",
+                        "MBits": null
+                    }
+                ],
+                "Meta": null,
+                "Services": null,
+                "ShutdownDelay": null,
+                "StopAfterClientDisconnect": null,
+                "MaxClientDisconnect": null,
+                "Scaling": null,
+                "Consul": null
+            }
+        ],
+        "Update": null,
+        "Multiregion": null,
+        "Spreads": null,
+        "Periodic": null,
+        "ParameterizedJob": null,
+        "Reschedule": null,
+        "Migrate": null,
+        "Meta": null,
+        "ConsulToken": null,
+        "VaultToken": null,
+        "Stop": null,
+        "ParentID": null,
+        "Dispatched": false,
+        "DispatchIdempotencyToken": null,
+        "Payload": null,
+        "ConsulNamespace": null,
+        "VaultNamespace": null,
+        "NomadTokenID": null,
+        "Status": null,
+        "StatusDescription": null,
+        "Stable": null,
+        "Version": null,
+        "SubmitTime": null,
+        "CreateIndex": null,
+        "ModifyIndex": null,
+        "JobModifyIndex": null
+    }
+}

command/testdata/example-short.json

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+{
+    "Job": {
+        "Region": null,
+        "Namespace": null,
+        "ID": "example",
+        "Name": "example",
+        "Type": null,
+        "Priority": null,
+        "AllAtOnce": null,
+        "Datacenters": [
+            "dc1"
+        ],
+        "Constraints": null,
+        "Affinities": null,
+        "TaskGroups": [
+            {
+                "Name": "cache",
+                "Count": null,
+                "Constraints": null,
+                "Affinities": null,
+                "Tasks": [
+                    {
+                        "Name": "redis",
+                        "Driver": "docker",
+                        "User": "",
+                        "Lifecycle": null,
+                        "Config": {
+                            "auth_soft_fail": true,
+                            "image": "redis:3.2",
+                            "ports": [
+                                "db"
+                            ]
+                        },
+                        "Constraints": null,
+                        "Affinities": null,
+                        "Env": null,
+                        "Services": null,
+                        "Resources": {
+                            "CPU": 500,
+                            "Cores": null,
+                            "MemoryMB": 256,
+                            "MemoryMaxMB": null,
+                            "DiskMB": null,
+                            "Networks": null,
+                            "Devices": null,
+                            "IOPS": null
+                        },
+                        "RestartPolicy": null,
+                        "Meta": null,
+                        "KillTimeout": null,
+                        "LogConfig": null,
+                        "Artifacts": null,
+                        "Vault": null,
+                        "Templates": null,
+                        "DispatchPayload": null,
+                        "VolumeMounts": null,
+                        "Leader": false,
+                        "ShutdownDelay": 0,
+                        "KillSignal": "",
+                        "Kind": "",
+                        "ScalingPolicies": null
+                    }
+                ],
+                "Spreads": null,
+                "Volumes": null,
+                "RestartPolicy": null,
+                "ReschedulePolicy": null,
+                "EphemeralDisk": null,
+                "Update": null,
+                "Migrate": null,
+                "Networks": [
+                    {
+                        "Mode": "",
+                        "Device": "",
+                        "CIDR": "",
+                        "IP": "",
+                        "DNS": null,
+                        "ReservedPorts": null,
+                        "DynamicPorts": [
+                            {
+                                "Label": "db",
+                                "Value": 0,
+                                "To": 6379,
+                                "HostNetwork": ""
+                            }
+                        ],
+                        "Hostname": "",
+                        "MBits": null
+                    }
+                ],
+                "Meta": null,
+                "Services": null,
+                "ShutdownDelay": null,
+                "StopAfterClientDisconnect": null,
+                "MaxClientDisconnect": null,
+                "Scaling": null,
+                "Consul": null
+            }
+        ],
+        "Update": null,
+        "Multiregion": null,
+        "Spreads": null,
+        "Periodic": null,
+        "ParameterizedJob": null,
+        "Reschedule": null,
+        "Migrate": null,
+        "Meta": null,
+        "ConsulToken": null,
+        "VaultToken": null,
+        "Stop": null,
+        "ParentID": null,
+        "Dispatched": false,
+        "DispatchIdempotencyToken": null,
+        "Payload": null,
+        "ConsulNamespace": null,
+        "VaultNamespace": null,
+        "NomadTokenID": null,
+        "Status": null,
+        "StatusDescription": null,
+        "Stable": null,
+        "Version": null,
+        "SubmitTime": null,
+        "CreateIndex": null,
+        "ModifyIndex": null,
+        "JobModifyIndex": null
+    }
+}

website/content/docs/commands/job/plan.mdx

@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ capability for the job's namespace.
 - `-policy-override`: Sets the flag to force override any soft mandatory
   Sentinel policies.
 
+- `-json`: Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field,
+  such as from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the
+  field is used as the job.
+
 - `-hcl1`: If set, HCL1 parser is used for parsing the job spec.
 
 - `-hcl2-strict`: Whether an error should be produced from the HCL2 parser where

website/content/docs/commands/job/run.mdx

@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ that volume.
 - `-eval-priority`: Override the priority of the evaluations produced as a result
   of this job submission. By default, this is set to the priority of the job.
 
+- `-json`: Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field,
+  such as from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the
+  field is used as the job.
+
 - `-hcl1`: If set, HCL1 parser is used for parsing the job spec.
 
 - `-hcl2-strict`: Whether an error should be produced from the HCL2 parser where

website/content/docs/commands/job/validate.mdx

@@ -32,8 +32,16 @@ of 1 indicates an error.
 When ACLs are enabled, this command requires a token with the `read-job`
 capability for the job's namespace.
 
+## General Options
+
+@include 'general_options.mdx'
+
 ## Validate Options
 
+- `-json`: Parses the job file as JSON. If the outer object has a Job field,
+  such as from "nomad job inspect" or "nomad run -output", the value of the
+  field is used as the job.
+
 - `-hcl1`: If set, HCL1 parser is used for parsing the job spec.
 
 - `-hcl2-strict`: Whether an error should be produced from the HCL2 parser where
@@ -46,16 +54,13 @@ Defaults to true.
 
 ## Examples
 
-Validate a job with invalid syntax:
+Validate a JSON job with invalid syntax:
 
 ```shell-session
-$ nomad job validate example.nomad
+$ nomad job validate -json example.json
 Job validation errors:
-1 error(s) occurred:
+1 error occurred:
-
+        * Missing job datacenters
-* group "cache" -> task "redis" -> config: 1 error(s) occurred:
-
-* field "image" is required
 ```
 
 Validate a job that has a configuration that causes warnings: