grep ☆
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Description:
GNU grep, egrep and fgrep
Type: Formula  |  Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: grep search text-processing cli regex
Install: brew install grep
About:
GNU grep is a powerful command-line utility for searching plain-text data sets for lines that match a regular expression. It uses optimized algorithms for fast pattern matching, supporting both basic and extended regex syntax. Its main value is speed and flexibility for text processing and log analysis.
Key Features:
  • Fast pattern matching using Boyer-Moore and other optimizations
  • Support for basic, extended, and Perl-compatible regular expressions
  • Powerful options for recursive searching, inversion, and context control
Use Cases:
  • Searching logs for specific error patterns or timestamps
  • Filtering command output to isolate relevant information
  • Recursive search for text within source code directories
Alternatives:
  • ripgrep (rg) – Often faster than grep, with sensible defaults and regex support
  • ag (The Silver Searcher) – Optimized for code searching, ignores version control files by default
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Nov 25, 2024 10:36pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 2b6e4ac7
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