The Tool Desk
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Ten command-line tools cover most of the repetitive work developers do in a terminal: finding files, searching code, picking items from lists, handling Git, and editing configuration. A practical starting set is four tools: fzf, fd, ripgrep, and lazygit. Add the others only when a task you repeat calls for them.
The headline claim that ripgrep is “14.7 times faster than grep, measured live” is not supported by the sources checked for this article. The ripgrep project publishes its own benchmarks, and the closest figure it reports is 10.69x for one specific comparison, under non-default settings, on one machine. The project also warns that a single benchmark is never enough. The numbers below explain what was measured and what was not.
Where this list comes from
The ten tools discussed here come from a July 5, 2026 article by Travis Media. Its author presents them as daily-use choices, not as a consensus ranking. Other developers will reasonably choose differently, and the article’s own advice is to add tools only when a specific need appears.
A DEV Community post with the same title as this article appears in a tag listing dated September 24. The full text of that post was not available, so this article does not assume it contains the same list, the same benchmark method, or the same machine. Treat the list below as the Travis Media author’s selection.
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What the speed claim actually rests on
The ripgrep project’s README describes ripgrep as a line-oriented search tool that recursively searches the current directory for a regular expression. It publishes several comparisons with grep. The most directly relevant one searches the Linux kernel source tree for the pattern [A-Z]+_SUSPEND on an Intel i9-12900K system running at 5.2 GHz. The example results are:
| Tool and command | Setup in the README | Matching lines | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
rg -uuu -tc -n -w '[A-Z]+_SUSPEND' |
Ignore rules disabled, search limited to C files by type filter | 447 | 0.063 s |
| GNU grep with recursive C and header file filters and a word match | Same corpus, same file types | 447 | 0.674 s |
The README expresses this as 10.69x. The arithmetic checks out (0.674 divided by 0.063 is about 10.7), but three conditions limit what it means:
- It is not the default ripgrep command. The
-uuuflag turns off ignore rules, hidden-file skipping, and binary-file skipping. The grep run is restricted to C and header files, so the two runs are matched by file type rather than by default behavior. - It is the project’s example, not a live test on this site. The README does not show a publication year for these timings, so this article does not date them. Nothing here shows that the figures were produced by a fresh test on the day the title was written.
- It is one corpus and one machine. The README itself cautions: “Please remember that a single benchmark is never enough!”
The same README includes a separate single-large-file comparison in which relative performance is materially different. Its examples with difficult patterns and very high match counts also change the picture. A result such as “ripgrep is always X times faster than grep” is therefore not a fair summary. The “14.7” figure in the title did not appear in the sources checked.
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- The same directory tree, with the number of files and total size recorded.
- Matching behavior: either both tools ignore the same files, or the difference is stated as part of the result.
- The same output handling. Sending results to a terminal is slower than counting matches or writing to a file.
- The exact command for each tool, the machine’s CPU and storage, and several repeated runs with the average and spread.
- A check that both tools return the same matching lines before any timing is compared.
The ten tools at a glance
| Tool | Job it handles | Extra requirement or note |
|---|---|---|
| fzf | Fuzzy selection from lists: shell history, files, directories, Git branches, processes | Works best with shell integration enabled |
| fd | Finding files by name with short syntax | Skips hidden and ignored files by default |
ripgrep (rg) |
Recursive content search using regular expressions | Respects .gitignore and skips hidden and binary files by default |
| lazygit | Terminal interface for staging, commits, branches, cherry-picks, stashes, and interactive rebase | Requires Git |
| k9s | Browsing and inspecting Kubernetes resources in a live terminal view | Relevant mainly to readers who already use Kubernetes |
| Starship | Shell prompt showing directory, Git state, and language versions | Requires editing your shell startup file |
GitHub CLI (gh) |
Common GitHub tasks such as creating and checking out pull requests | Requires authenticating with GitHub |
| GNU Stow | Linking configuration files from a dotfiles repository using symlinks | Works best with a dedicated dotfiles repository |
| age with SOPS | Encrypting and editing secrets files | Key handling must be managed deliberately; encryption does not make careless key storage safe |
| neovim | Editing files in the terminal | Version-specific claims should be checked against current release notes |
Notes on the tools
fzf
fzf turns any list into a searchable picker. The Travis Media article demonstrates it on shell history, files, directories, Git branches, and process lists. Its value comes from replacing a long typed command with a few keystrokes, so it pays off most in tasks you repeat many times a day.
fd
fd finds files by name with shorter syntax than find. Its defaults skip hidden files and files excluded by ignore rules. To include them, use:
fd -H patternto include hidden files.fd -I patternto ignore ignore rules, which includes files excluded by .gitignore.
ripgrep
ripgrep searches file contents. Plain rg pattern applies the same default filtering as fd: it respects .gitignore and skips hidden and binary files. The README documents support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The flags that widen the search are:
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rg -u patterndisables ignore rules.rg -uu patternalso includes hidden files.rg -uuu patternalso includes binary files.
When a search returns fewer results than expected, the cause is usually one of these default filters, not a fault in the tool.
Recommended Free Tools
lazygit
lazygit gives a keyboard-driven terminal view of Git state. It covers staging, commits, branches, cherry-picks, stashes, and interactive rebase. It does not replace understanding Git. It makes the common operations faster to review.
k9s
k9s browses Kubernetes resources live in the terminal. It is useful if you already work with a cluster. Without Kubernetes access, it has no practical role.
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Starship
Starship adds context to the shell prompt, such as the current directory, Git branch and state, and language versions. It is configured through your shell startup file and changes what you see every time you press Enter.
GitHub CLI (gh)
The gh tool handles common GitHub operations, including creating pull requests and checking them out locally. It requires authenticating with your GitHub account before those commands work.
GNU Stow
Stow manages configuration files by creating symlinks from a dotfiles repository into your home directory. It keeps your configuration in version control and makes it easy to reproduce on another machine.
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age and SOPS
age handles encryption, and SOPS encrypts and edits structured secrets files. Encryption protects a file only as long as the keys stay protected. Store private keys separately from the encrypted files and do not commit them to a repository.
neovim
neovim is a terminal editor. The Travis Media article discusses a modern configuration approach, but this article does not verify version-specific details. Check current release notes and plugin documentation before following a configuration guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical way to start
- Install fd, ripgrep, and fzf. Run each with a short test directory before relying on them.
- Learn the default filtering in fd and ripgrep, and practice the
-uand-Hflags once so you know when results are being excluded. - Add lazygit if you spend time on Git history, staging, or branch work.
- Add other tools only when a repeated task demands them: Starship for prompt context, gh for pull requests, Stow for dotfiles, age and SOPS for secrets, k9s for Kubernetes, and neovim for editing.
Platform and setup
Installation steps and shell integration change across releases and operating systems. Check each project’s current documentation before installing, and confirm the platform support it lists. The ripgrep README documents Windows, macOS, and Linux support, but that does not guarantee every tool in this list behaves identically on each platform.
Quick Recap
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