Grep is a command-line utility in Unix and Linux systems. It is used for finding search patterns in the content of a given file.
With its unusual name, you may have guessed that grep is an acronym. This is at least partially true, but it depends on who you ask.
According to reputable sources, the name is actually derived from a command in a UNIX text editor called ed. In which, the input g/re/p performed a global (g) search for a regular expression (re), and subsequently printed (p) any matching lines.
The grep command does what the g/re/p commands did in the editor. It performs a global research for a regular expression and prints it. It is much faster at searching for large files.
This is the official narrative, but you may also see it described as Global Regular Expression (Processor | Parser | Printer). Truthfully, it does all of that.
The interesting story behind the creation of grep
Ken Thompson has made some incredible contributions to computer science. He helped create Unix, popularized its modular approach, and wrote many of its programs including grep.
Thompson built grep to assist one of his colleagues at Bell Labs. This scientist's goal was to examine linguistic patterns to identify the authors (including Alexander Hamilton) of the Federalist Papers. This extensive body of work was a collection of 85 anonymous articles and essays drafted in defense of the United States Constitution. But since these articles were anonymous, the scientist was trying to identify the authors based on linguistic pattern.
The original Unix text editor, ed, (also created by Thompson) wasn't capable of searching such a large body of text given the hardware limitations of the time. So, Thompson transformed the search feature into a standalone utility, independent of the ed editor.
If you think about it, that means Alexander Hamilton technically helped create grep. Feel free to share this fun fact with your friends at your Hamilton watch party. 🤓
What is a Regular Expression, again?
A regular expression (or regex) can be thought of as kind of like a search query. Regular expressions are used to identify, match, or otherwise manage text.
Regex is capable of much more than keyword searches, though. It can be used to find any kind of pattern imaginable. Patterns can be found easier by using meta-characters. These special characters that make this search tool much more powerful.
It should be noted that grep is just one tool that uses regex. There are similar capabilities across the range of tools, but meta characters and syntax can vary. This means it's important to know the rules for your particular regex processor.
