Use rg (ripgrep) for interactive, recursive searches in a project when you control the environment and want sensible, ignore-aware defaults. Use grep when a shell script must work on Unix systems without requiring users to install an additional command. Before treating an empty ripgrep result as proof that a match is absent, account for its default exclusions: ignored paths, hidden paths, and binary files are skipped.
How ripgrep and grep differ by default
The main difference is not simply speed: the commands make different assumptions about where to look. Ripgrep recursively searches the current directory by default and applies project-oriented filters. GNU grep is the familiar standard utility to choose when you need a command that is already available without adding a dependency. The ripgrep project’s guide documents its traversal and filtering behavior.
- ripgrep (
rg): A convenient default for searching a source tree. It reads ignore rules and skips hidden and binary files during traversal. - grep: A better fit for portable scripts that must run on unknown Unix hosts without assuming ripgrep is installed. The ripgrep FAQ explicitly recommends standard
grepfor that use case.
Which one should you use?
| What you need | Better default | Why and what to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Search a project tree interactively | rg PATTERN |
Recursively searches from the current directory and applies useful project filters by default. |
| Include hidden paths and ignored build output | rg --hidden --no-ignore PATTERN |
Broadens the search beyond the usual exclusions; expect more files, noise, and work. |
| Write a shell script for unknown Unix systems | grep |
It avoids an extra dependency where ripgrep may not be installed. |
| Use look-around or backreferences with ripgrep | rg -P PATTERN |
Selects PCRE2, but that engine is unavailable in some ripgrep builds. |
| Search one very large file | Benchmark the actual command and file | One project benchmark is not enough to predict performance for different patterns, files, or systems. |
The ripgrep FAQ gives the portability distinction directly: “For portable shell scripts that must run everywhere without extra dependencies, standard grep remains the right choice.” It recommends ripgrep when the environment is controlled. See the ripgrep FAQ.
How to search recursively—and account for exclusions
These commands perform similar broad tasks, but they are not exact behavioral equivalents: ripgrep applies its own ignore, hidden-file, and binary-file rules, while traversal details can differ.
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# ripgrep: search the current tree recursively with its usual filters
rg 'TODO'
# GNU grep: recursively search an explicitly selected directory
grep -R 'TODO' .
# ripgrep: include hidden paths and stop honoring ignore files
rg --hidden --no-ignore 'TODO'Ripgrep’s filters are often useful in a repository because they keep generated or irrelevant files out of the results. They can also explain a missing match. Its guide describes how .gitignore, .ignore, and .rgignore affect which paths are searched.
- Use
--hidden(also written-.) when you need dotfiles or other hidden paths included. - Use
--no-ignorewhen you also need paths excluded by ignore files included. - Repeated
-uflags progressively broaden the search; choose the degree of expansion that fits the task rather than assuming one flag covers every exclusion.
For example, rg --hidden --no-ignore 'TODO' searches hidden paths and disregards ignore files. A broader search can include large dependency trees or build outputs, so it may take longer and return more noise. Ripgrep also skips binary files by default; widening path filters does not mean every binary file will necessarily be searched as text.
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Is ripgrep faster than grep?
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If performance matters for your own work, compare the actual pattern and file or directory on the system where you will run the search. For ordinary project searches, ripgrep’s recursive, ignore-aware defaults may be the more useful distinction even before timing enters the decision.
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Will your regular expressions work in both?
Do not assume that a nontrivial regular expression can be moved between the commands unchanged. Ripgrep’s default engine is Rust’s regex. Its optional PCRE2 engine is selected with -P and provides features such as look-around and backreferences, but PCRE2 support is absent in some builds. Check the syntax you use and the engine available in the installed build against the ripgrep regex documentation.
For example, if a pattern depends on a look-around or backreference, try it with rg -P 'PATTERN' and verify that the installed ripgrep build supports PCRE2. If it does not, the command cannot use that engine; test an alternative pattern or use a tool and engine that provide the required feature.
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Choose ripgrep for interactive searches in a project you control, especially when its default filtering matches what you want to inspect. Choose grep for scripts that need to rely on the standard utility rather than an extra installation. When ripgrep appears to miss a result, first check hidden paths, ignore rules, and binary-file handling; when a search is unusually slow, benchmark the real workload rather than relying on a single published comparison.
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