7 most common linux grep commands

Grep is a command-line utility that allows you to search for patterns in text files. Here are some common grep commands and their explanations:

  1. grep pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that contain the pattern.
  2. grep -r pattern directory: This command searches the specified directory and all subdirectories for files that contain the pattern. The -r option stands for "recursive."
  3. grep -v pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that do not contain the pattern. The -v option stands for "invert match."
  4. grep -i pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that contain the pattern, ignoring the case of the characters. The -i option stands for "ignore case."
  5. grep -c pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that contain the pattern and prints a count of the number of matching lines. The -c option stands for "count."
  6. grep -n pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that contain the pattern and prints the line numbers of the matching lines. The -n option stands for "line number."
  7. grep -l pattern file: This command searches the specified file for lines that contain the pattern and prints only the names of the files that contain a match, rather than the matching lines themselves. The -l option stands for "files with matches."