RTFM · Tools
ripgrep for searching
ripgrep searches trees fast by default: recursive, respects ignore files, regex-native. It complements grep rather than replacing the POSIX toolkit.
Everyday invocations
rg ERROR /var/log/app.log # simple search
rg -i todo ~/src/ # case-insensitive recursive
rg -l 'Listen 80' /etc/ # filenames only
rg -C2 NotFound service.log # 2 lines context each side
rg -uu hidden_feature # include ignored/hidden anywayResults arrive fast enough to iterate hypotheses interactively rather than batching queries cautiously.
Combining with pipelines
rg 'Cache-Control' nginx/*.conf | awk '{print $3}' | sort | uniq -cStill respecting grep
grep remains POSIX-portable and universally available in minimal images; rg excels locally and interactively. Knowing both avoids either disappointment.
| grep idiom | rg equivalent |
|---|---|
| grep -rn pattern dir/ | rg pattern dir/ |
| grep -i | rg -i |
| grep -E | rg (native) |
| grep -B2 -A4 | rg -B2 -A4 |
Prove it works: search integration habitual
reaching for rg without hesitation when answering 'where is X configured?'; reflex indicates adoption complete.
Counting, replacing and reporting
Verified against the installed ripgrep 15.2.0; these flags turn rg from a search into a reporting tool.
rg -c 'Listen' /etc/ # matches PER FILE (counts)
rg --count-matches ERROR app.log # every match counted, not just lines
rg --stats ERROR app.log # human report: files, matches, bytes searched
rg -r 'proxy' 'front-end' *.conf # search AND replace display (does not edit files!)
rg -g '*.conf' -g '!*~' Listen # glob include/exclude filters
rg -w root /etc/passwd # word-bounded: no 'chroot' noise--replace changes DISPLAY only. It will not rewrite your files; a frequent and costly assumption. For real edits, combine with sed or an editor; for inspecting what an edit WOULD look like, --replace is instant and safe.
rg in scripts: exit codes are an API
rg quiet pattern file; echo $? # -> 1 when nothing matches
rg host /etc/hostname; echo $? # -> 0 on match
rg --files /absent-dir 2>/dev/null; echo $? # -> 2 on real errorDistinguishing 'no match' from 'could not search' makes rg composable in scripts: a 1 is a legitimate answer, a 2 is a problem. Pair it with the pipeline habits from the shell-pipelines chapter; rg selects, downstream stages aggregate:
rg --no-filename 'session opened' /var/log/messages |
+ awk '{print $NF}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | headDid we miss something?
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