Windows
Linux
PowerShell Equivalents
Text Processing
Windows PowerShell Select-String equivalent in Linux
Finds lines matching a string or regular expression in files or piped input.
Windows
→
PowerShell Select-String
Linux equivalents
grep PATTERN FILE
grep PATTERN FILE
grep PATTERN FILE
Overview
What this command does
Finds lines matching a string or regular expression in files or piped input.
Migration tip:
grep is case-sensitive by default. Combine -r, -i and -n for recursive, case-insensitive searches with line numbers.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Search text patterns
Finds lines matching a string or regular expression in files or piped input.
grep "error" app.log
Find matching lines
grep -rin "todo" src/
Search recursively
journalctl | grep -i "failed"
Filter piped output
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
grep "error" app.log
grep -rin "todo" src/
journalctl | grep -i "failed"
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
grep "error" app.log # search one file
grep -rin "todo" src/ # search a directory recursively
journalctl | grep -i "failed" # filter another commandReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
grep "error" app.log | Find matching lines |
grep -rin "todo" src/ | Search recursively |
journalctl | grep -i "failed" | Filter piped output |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | grep PATTERN FILE |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | grep PATTERN FILE |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | grep PATTERN FILE |
Same command on this distribution. |
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