How do I make ripgrep search hidden files?

Use the `-u` flag to disable smart filtering; `rg -uu` searches hidden files and directories, while `rg -uuu` disables all filtering, including .gitignore rules.

ripgrep vs grep which is better for code search?

ripgrep is generally faster and smarter for code search due to defaults like .gitignore respect and Unicode speed, but grep is better for POSIX-compliant scripts or environments where ripgrep isn't installed.

How to search only in Python files with ripgrep?

Use the `-tpy` flag to filter by file type; for example, `rg -tpy 'import'` searches for 'import' only in Python files, leveraging ripgrep's built-in file type detection.

Does ripgrep support regular expressions with look-around?

Yes, but only with the `-P` flag to enable the PCRE2 regex engine, which supports look-around and backreferences, unlike the default Rust regex engine.

Can ripgrep search inside compressed files like .gz?

Yes, with the `-z` or `--search-zip` flag, ripgrep can search compressed files in formats like gzip, bzip2, and xz without manual decompression.

How to configure ripgrep to use a specific encoding?

Use the `-E` flag followed by the encoding (e.g., `-E latin1`) or set it in a configuration file to handle non-UTF-8 files like Shift_JIS or GBK.

ripgrep

UnlicenseRust15.1.0

ripgrep is a fast, line-oriented search tool that recursively searches directories for regex patterns while respecting gitignore rules.

GitHub

62.8k stars2.5k forks0 contributors

What is ripgrep?

ripgrep is a command-line search tool that recursively searches directories for regex patterns. It prioritizes speed and developer productivity by using intelligent defaults like respecting .gitignore files and skipping hidden or binary files. It is designed as a modern alternative to traditional search utilities like grep, ack, and The Silver Searcher.

Target Audience

Developers and system administrators who need fast, recursive text search in codebases and directories, particularly those working with version-controlled projects where ignoring certain files is essential.

Value Proposition

Developers choose ripgrep for its exceptional speed, built on Rust's regex engine with SIMD and literal optimizations, combined with sensible defaults that reduce manual filtering. Its full Unicode support without performance penalties and cross-platform availability make it a versatile upgrade over older tools.

Overview

ripgrep recursively searches directories for a regex pattern while respecting your gitignore

Use Cases

Best For

Searching large codebases quickly while automatically respecting .gitignore rules to skip build artifacts and dependencies.

Related Projects

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub

Finding regex patterns across multiple file types with precise filtering, such as searching only Python files using the `-tpy` flag.

Performing Unicode-aware searches without the performance degradation common in traditional grep implementations.

Searching compressed files (e.g., gzip, bzip2) directly without manual decompression.

Using PCRE2 regex features like look-around and backreferences via the `-P` flag for advanced pattern matching.

Cross-platform development workflows on Windows, macOS, and Linux with consistent performance and static binary availability.

Not Ideal For

Scripts requiring strict POSIX compliance for cross-platform portability without additional dependencies.
Complex text replacement tasks where advanced editing features beyond basic search are needed.
Environments relying on niche search features only available in tools like ack or ugrep, such as specific output formats or filtering options.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Exceptional Search Speed

Leverages Rust's regex engine with SIMD and literal optimizations, consistently outperforming grep and similar tools in benchmarks, such as searching the Linux kernel in 0.082s.

Smart Default Filtering

Automatically respects .gitignore, .ignore, and .rgignore files, skipping hidden and binary files by default, which streamlines code searches without manual flags.

Robust Unicode Handling

Provides full Unicode support without performance penalties, unlike traditional grep where UTF-8 searches can be 32x slower, as shown in benchmarks.

Cross-Platform Availability

Offers static binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux with easy installation via package managers, ensuring consistent performance across operating systems.

Cons

Non-POSIX Command Line

Deviates from standard grep syntax and lacks POSIX compliance, breaking existing scripts and requiring adaptation for interoperability with traditional Unix tools.

Basic Replacement Support

Only provides rudimentary text replacement features, making it inferior to dedicated tools like sed or awk for complex editing and transformation tasks.

Performance Variability

In edge cases, such as searching for patterns without literal optimizations (e.g., '[A-Za-z]{30}'), performance can drop significantly, as noted in the benchmark cliffs.

Open Source Alternative To

ripgrep is an open-source alternative to the following products:

h

hypergrep

hypergrep is a fast, recursive grep tool written in Rust, designed to search large codebases efficiently with support for regular expressions and parallel execution.

T

The Silver Searcher

The Silver Searcher (ag) is a code-searching tool similar to ack but faster, designed for quickly finding text patterns in large codebases.

ugrep is an ultra-fast, feature-rich grep utility that supports recursive searching, binary file detection, and advanced pattern matching with PCRE2 regular expressions. It's designed as a faster alternative to traditional grep tools with additional features.

a

ack

A command-line search tool optimized for programmers, designed as a faster alternative to grep for searching code with syntax highlighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Home

Command-Line Apps

fuck

Magnificent app which corrects your previous console command.

Stars96,666

Forks3,931

Last commit1 year ago

fzf

:cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder

Stars79,710

Forks2,789

Last commit3 days ago

tldr

Collaborative cheatsheets for console commands 📚.

A simple, fast and user-friendly alternative to 'find'

Stars42,659

Forks1,050

Last commit3 days ago

Command-Line Apps19.2k

Terminals Are Sexy12.9k

Dev Env3.2k

Regex360