Latest: ripgrep 15.2.0

ripgrep: The Fastest Grep Alternative for Developers

A lightning-fast search tool that recursively searches directories for regex patterns while respecting your gitignore. 2–33× faster than GNU grep in upstream benchmarks.

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See It In Action

Basic ripgrep usage bash 
# Search for a pattern recursively
rg "TODO"

# Search only in Python files
rg "def main" -t py

# Show 3 lines of context around matches
rg "error" -C 3

# Case-insensitive search with file list
rg -i "copyright" --files-with-matches

Features That Make ripgrep Stand Out

Every feature is designed with developer productivity in mind.

⚡

Lightning Fast

Built on Rust with SIMD optimizations and parallel directory traversal. 2–33× faster than GNU grep in upstream benchmarks.

🧠

Smart Defaults

Automatically respects .gitignore, skips hidden and binary files. No configuration needed for common use cases.

🖥️

Cross-Platform

Native binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

🛠️

PCRE2 Regex

Full PCRE2 support with look-around, backreferences, and Unicode character classes.

💻

Developer Friendly

File-type filtering, colored output, JSON mode, and shell completions for bash, zsh, fish, and PowerShell.

⚙️

Highly Configurable

Configuration file support, custom file types, and extensive CLI options for power users.

View All Features

See the Speed Difference

Linux kernel source tree — Intel i9-12900K 5.2 GHz — numbers from the ripgrep README

Tool Time
ripgrep Fastest 0.082s
git grep 0.273s
ag 0.443s
ugrep 0.639s
Full Benchmark Results

What Is ripgrep?

ripgrep (rg) is a line-oriented search tool that recursively searches directories for a regex pattern. Built in Rust, it combines the usability of The Silver Searcher with the raw speed of grep.

It automatically filters files using .gitignore rules, skips hidden files, and handles binary files intelligently — all while being significantly faster.

  • ✓ Open-source, maintained by Andrew Gallant
  • ✓ 69,000+ GitHub stars
  • ✓ Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • ✓ Zero configuration for common use cases
  • ✓ Powers VS Code built-in search

ripgrep vs grep

Feature rg grep
Kernel search time 0.063s 0.674s
Respects .gitignore ✓ ✗
Unicode by default ✓ By locale
PCRE2 regex ✓ ✓ (GNU -P)
Windows native ✓ Ports only
Compressed files ✓ ✗
JSON output ✓ ✗
Full Comparison

Get Started in 60 Seconds

Install with your favourite package manager

macOS

brew install ripgrep

Windows

winget install BurntSushi.ripgrep.MSVC

Ubuntu

sudo apt install ripgrep
All Installation Methods Read the Guide

Trusted by Developers Worldwide

69,000+
GitHub Stars
4,200+
Forks
700,000+
Homebrew Installs a Year
400+
Contributors

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ripgrep faster than grep? ⌄
Generally, yes. In the benchmarks in ripgrep's README it is 2–33× faster than GNU grep, depending on the pattern and locale.
Can ripgrep replace grep completely? ⌄
For most developer workflows, yes. For POSIX-portable scripts grep is still the standard. ripgrep excels at code search.
Does ripgrep work on Windows? ⌄
Yes, ripgrep has first-class Windows support with native binaries for x64 and ARM64.
How do I search specific file types? ⌄
Use the -t flag: rg "pattern" -t py searches only Python files. Run rg --type-list to see all supported types.
Can ripgrep search compressed files? ⌄
Yes, with the -z flag ripgrep can search gzip, bzip2, xz, lz4, brotli, zstandard, and LZMA files.
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Join thousands of developers who have made the switch to ripgrep.

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