Bash 5 reference · Text and System Tools

sed (Linux command)

Edit text streams: substitute with s/old/new/, delete or print lines by number or pattern, and edit files in place.

Bash 5

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Syntax

sed [OPTIONS] 'SCRIPT' [FILE...]

Parameter	Description
`s/a/b/g`	Replace all matches on each line.
`-n 'Np'`	Print only line N.
`/pat/d`	Delete matching lines.
`-i[SUFFIX]`	Edit files in place, optionally keeping a backup.
`-E`	Extended regex with capture groups.

Substitute and delete

echo 'Hello hello' | sed 's/hello/Hi/gI'
printf '# c\nkey=1\n' | sed '/^#/d'

Output

Hi Hi
key=1

Run this on your computer — see “Get Started” for setup.

In place with a backup

echo 'debug=true' > app.conf
sed -i.bak 's/true/false/' app.conf
cat app.conf app.conf.bak

Output

debug=false
debug=true

Run this on your computer — see “Get Started” for setup.

grep · Search files or input for lines matching a pattern, with options for case, counts, context, recursion and regex.
awk · Process text by fields: print and filter columns, compute sums and group totals, with a small built-in language.
tr · Translate, squeeze or delete characters, such as changing case, removing carriage returns or splitting words onto lines.
Bash sed: Edit Text Streams · tutorial