5 Best CLI Tools to Search Plain-Text Data Using Regular Expressions

In world of programming, Command-Line Interfaces (CLI) tools have a significant role in simplifying our day-to-day work. They help us perform complex tasks with simple commands, and searching plain-text data using regular expressions is no exception. Regular expressions are a powerful way to match patterns in strings, and they are supported by several CLI tools. In this article, we'll discuss 5 best CLI tools to search plain-text data using regular expressions.

Grep

Grep is most commonly used CLI tool for searching plain-text data using regular expressions. It is a command-line utility that searches for patterns in files or input passed through pipes. Grep stands for "Global Regular Expression Print," and it is available on almost all UNIX-based systems, including Linux and macOS.

Here is a simple example of how to use grep to search for a string in a file −

grep "pattern" file.txt

In above command, we are searching for word "pattern" in file.txt file. Grep will search for pattern in file and print out all lines that match pattern.

Grep supports several options to customize search, such as −

• -i − case-insensitive search

• -r − recursive search

• -n − show line numbers of matching lines

• -v − show lines that do not match pattern

Here is an example of using -i option to perform a case-insensitive search −

grep -i "pattern" file.txt

In this command, grep will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file, regardless of case of letters.

Ack

Ack is a CLI tool that is similar to grep but has some additional features that make it easier to use. Ack stands for "Acknowledge," and it is designed to be a faster and more efficient alternative to grep. Ack is available for UNIX-based systems and Windows.

Here is an example of how to use ack to search for a string in a file −

ack "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ack will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and print out all lines that match pattern.

Ack supports several options to customize search, such as −

• -i − case-insensitive search

• -r − recursive search

• -n − show line numbers of matching lines

• -v − show lines that do not match pattern

• --color − highlight matching pattern in color

Here is an example of using --color option to highlight matching pattern in color −

ack --color "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ack will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and highlight matching pattern in color.

Ag

Ag is another CLI tool that is similar to grep and ack but has some additional features that make it more efficient for searching code. Ag stands for "The Silver Searcher," and it is designed to be a faster and more efficient alternative to grep and ack. Ag is available for UNIX-based systems and Windows.

Here is an example of how to use ag to search for a string in a file −

ag "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ag will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and print out all lines that match pattern.

Ag supports several options to customize search, such as −

• -i − case-insensitive search

• -r − recursive search

• -n − show line numbers of matching lines

• --color − highlight matching pattern in color

• --ignore-case − case-insensitive search

• --smart-case − case-insensitive search by default, but case-sensitive if pattern contains uppercase letters.

Here is an example of using --ignore-case option to perform a case-insensitive search −

ag --ignore-case "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ag will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file, regardless of case of letters.

Ripgrep

Ripgrep is a CLI tool that is designed to be even faster than ag. It is built on top of Rust's regular expression engine, which makes it faster and more efficient than other grep alternatives. Ripgrep is available for UNIX-based systems and Windows.

Here is an example of how to use ripgrep to search for a string in a file −

rg "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ripgrep will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and print out all lines that match pattern.

Ripgrep supports several options to customize search, such as −

• -i − case-insensitive search

• -r − recursive search

• -n − show line numbers of matching lines

• --color − highlight matching pattern in color

• --ignore-case − case-insensitive search

• --smart-case − case-insensitive search by default, but case-sensitive if pattern contains uppercase letters.

• --vimgrep − output results in a format compatible with Vim's quickfix list.

Here is an example of using --vimgrep option to output results in a format compatible with Vim's quickfix list −

rg --vimgrep "pattern" file.txt

In this command, ripgrep will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and output results in a format that can be used with Vim's quickfix list.

Sift

Sift is a CLI tool that is designed to be a faster and more efficient alternative to ack, ag, and ripgrep. It is built on top of Rust's regular expression engine and is designed to be faster than all other CLI tools we have discussed so far. Sift is available for UNIX-based systems and Windows.

Here is an example of how to use sift to search for a string in a file −

sift "pattern" file.txt

In this command, sift will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and print out all lines that match pattern.

Sift supports several options to customize search, such as −

• -i − case-insensitive search

• -r − recursive search

• -n − show line numbers of matching lines

• --color − highlight matching pattern in color

• --ignore-case − case-insensitive search

• --smart-case − case-insensitive search by default, but case-sensitive if pattern contains uppercase letters.

• --no-color - disable color output.

Here is an example of using --no-color option to disable color output −

sift --no-color "pattern" file.txt

In this command, sift will search for word "pattern" in file.txt file and print out all lines that match pattern, without any color highlighting.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed 5 best CLI tools to search plain-text data using regular expressions. These tools are essential for programmers and developers who need to search through large amounts of text data quickly and efficiently. Each of these tools has its unique features, so it's worth trying them all to find one that works best for you.

Grep is most commonly used CLI tool and is available on almost all UNIX-based systems. Ack is designed to be a faster and more efficient alternative to grep, and it supports several options to customize search. Ag is another grep alternative that is optimized for searching code. Ripgrep is built on top of Rust's regular expression engine and is designed to be even faster than ag. Sift is fastest CLI tool we have discussed so far, and it supports all options we have seen in other tools.

Whether you're a seasoned programmer or a beginner, mastering these CLI tools can save you a lot of time and effort. They make searching for patterns in large amounts of data much easier and more efficient. So go ahead and give them a try!