ripgrep Cheatsheet

Q: How is ripgrep different from grep?

rg is 5-10x faster, automatically respects .gitignore, searches recursively by default, and has sensible defaults (line numbers, color output). Use rg for day-to-day code search. Use grep when you need to search binary files or have POSIX compliance requirements.

Q: How do I search only specific file types?

Use `-t type` like `rg -t py 'pattern'`. List all types with `--type-list`. Or use `-g '*.rs'` for custom glob patterns. Use `--type-add` to define custom type aliases in your config file.

Q: Can ripgrep replace grep entirely?

For most day-to-day use, yes. But grep is still needed for POSIX compliance, scripts running on minimal systems, and the `-P` (Perl-compatible) mode in grep has different features than rg's PCRE2 support.

ripgrep is a lightning-fast Rust-based text search tool that recursively searches directories. Automatically respects .gitignore and skips hidden files. 5-10x faster than traditional grep with PCRE2 regex support.

Updated: 2026-07-20·20 commands

Quick Start

bash
rg 'function main'           # Search recursively
rg -i 'class user'           # Case-insensitive
rg -g '*.py' 'def'           # Only Python files
rg -C 3 'error'              # Show 3 lines context
rg -l 'TODO'                 # List filenames only

Startup & Modes(20)

Command	Level	Example
`rg --help` Show ripgrep help	Basic	`rg --help`
`rg pattern` Recursively search current dir for pattern	Basic	`rg 'function main'`
`rg -i` Case-insensitive search	Basic	`rg -i 'class user'`
`rg -w` Match whole word only	Basic	`rg -w 'print'`
`rg -l` Output only matching filenames	Basic	`rg -l 'TODO'`
`rg -c` Show match count per file	Basic	`rg -c 'error'`
`rg -n` Show line numbers (default on)	Basic	`rg -n 'import'`
`rg -g` Filter files by glob pattern	Intermediate	`rg -g '*.py' 'def'`
`rg -t` Filter by file type	Intermediate	`rg -t py 'class'`
`rg --type-list` List all supported file types	Basic	`rg --type-list`
`rg -A` Show N lines after match	Basic	`rg -A 3 'error' log.txt`
`rg -B` Show N lines before match	Basic	`rg -B 2 'error' log.txt`
`rg -C` Show N lines around match	Basic	`rg -C 3 'error'`
`rg -F` Fixed string mode (no regex)	Intermediate	`rg -F 'hello.world'`
`rg -S` Smart case (lowercase=insensitive, uppercase=sensitive)	Intermediate	`rg -S 'Error'`
`rg --json` JSON format output	Intermediate	`rg --json 'pattern'`
`rg --no-ignore` Search files ignored by gitignore	Intermediate	`rg --no-ignore 'password'`
`rg --hidden` Search hidden files	Intermediate	`rg --hidden 'config'`
`rg -uu` Search all files (ignore .gitignore and hidden)	Expert	`rg -uu 'secret'`
`rg -P` Use PCRE2 regex (more powerful than default)	Expert	`rg -P '(?<=$)\w+'`

FAQ

How is ripgrep different from grep?

How do I search only specific file types?

Can ripgrep replace grep entirely?

This cheatsheet is compiled from official tool documentation. Last updated: 2026-07-20.