GNU Grep

Grep searches one or more input files for lines containing a match to a specified pattern. By default, Grep outputs the matching lines.

Downloads

  • Stable source releases are available on the main GNU download server (HTTPS,  HTTP,  FTP) and its mirrors; please use a mirror if possible.
  • The current development version (introducing new features and bugfixes, but also quite possibly new bugs) can be accessed using Git. Detailed instructions can be found in “grep - Git Repositories.”
  • For other ways to obtain grep, please read How to get GNU software.

Documentation

Documentation for Grep is available online, as is documentation for most GNU software. You may also find more information about Grep by running info grep or man grep, or by looking at /usr/share/doc/grep/, /usr/local/doc/grep/, or similar directories on your system. A brief summary is available by running grep --help.

Mailing lists

Grep has the following mailing lists:

  • bug-grep is used to discuss most aspects of Grep, including development and enhancement requests, as well as bug reports.
  • grep-commit contains commit log entries, and you can subscribe to it to follow development more closely.

Announcements about Grep and most other GNU software are made on info-gnu (archive).

Security reports that should not be made immediately public can be sent directly to the maintainer. If there is no response to an urgent issue, you can escalate to the general security mailing list for advice.

Getting involved

Development of Grep, and GNU in general, is a volunteer effort, and you can contribute. For information, please read How to help GNU. If you'd like to get involved, it's a good idea to join the bug mailing list (see above).

Test releases
Trying the latest test release (when available) is always appreciated. Test releases of Grep are typically announced on the platform-testers mailing list.
Development
Information for GNU grep developers is a comprehensive source for all development-related matters. For development sources and other information, please see the Grep project page at savannah.gnu.org.
Translating Grep
To translate Grep's messages into other languages, please see the Translation Project page for Grep. If you have a new translation of the message strings, or updates to the existing strings, please have the changes made in this repository, otherwise they will not be incorporated into Grep. For more information, see the Translation Project.
Maintainer
Grep is currently being maintained by Jim Meyering. Please use the mailing lists for contact.

Licensing

Grep is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.