Mastering sed Command in Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The sed (Stream Editor) command in Linux is a powerful utility for text manipulation. It enables users to perform various operations such as searching, replacing, inserting, and deleting text in files. This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to mastering the sed command with practical examples, syntax explanations, and advanced use cases.

The sed command is a stream editor that processes text in a line-by-line fashion. This allows you to modify file content without directly opening the file in a text editor. It is widely used in shell scripting and system administration to automate text-processing tasks.

Key Features of sed

1.Pattern matching and replacement 2.In-place file editing 3.Text filtering and manipulation 4.Support for regular expressions 5.Multiline operations

The basic syntax of the sed command consists of three main components: the command options, a script defining the editing instructions, and the file to be processed.

This structure allows users to specify the command’s behavior, define the text transformations, and apply them to the desired file.

1. Command Options: These are used to specify the command’s behavior. For example, the -i option is used for in-place file editing i.e to overwrite the file.

2. Script: The script defines the editing instructions. It can be enclosed in single quotes (‘) or double quotes (“). The script can contain one or more editing commands, each separated by a semicolon (;).

3. Input File: This is the file to be processed. It can be a single file or a list of files separated by spaces. If no file is specified, sed reads from the standard input.

The basic syntax of the sed command is as follows:

sed [options] ‘script’ file

In this syntax, sed is the command, [options] is the command options, ‘script’ contains the editing commands, and file is the file to be processed.

sed [options] ‘script’ file

You will understand it better with the examples below.

sed ‘s/hello/world/’ sample.txt

This replaces the first occurrence of “hello” with “world” in each line of sample.txt.

Option	Description	Example
-i	In-place editing	sed -i ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt
-n	Suppress automatic printing	sed -n ‘/pattern/p’ file.txt
-e	Execute multiple commands	sed -e ‘s/old/new/’ -e ‘/pattern/d’ file.txt
-f	Read commands from a file	sed -f script.sed file.txt
-r	Use extended regular expressions	sed -r ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt
-E	Use extended regular expressions (similar to -r)	sed -E ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt
-z	Separate lines with NUL character	sed -z ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt
-l	Specify the line length for the ‘l’ command	sed -l 100 ‘l’ file.txt
-b	Binary mode (do not strip the CR characters)	sed -b ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt

Below are some of the most practical use cases of the sed command.

First, let’s create a sample text file file1.txt and write the below text to it, for ease of understanding and follow along-

cat > file1.txt

Copy-paste the following text:

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Search and Replace

In the below command the s specifies the substitution operation and the / are delimiters. The /Linux/ is the search pattern and the Unix is the replacement string.

Note: By default, the sed command only replaces the first occurrence of the pattern in each line and it won’t replace the second or third occurrences in the line.

sed ‘s/Linux/Unix/’ file1.txt

This command replaces the first occurrence of “Linux” with “Unix” in each line.

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Operating systems based on Unix are known as Linux distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Unix, and many others.

Replace Globally in Each Line

The substitute flag /g (global replacement) specifies the sed command to replace all the occurrences of the string in the line.

sed ‘s/Linux/Unix/g’ file1.txt

This command replaces all occurrences of “Linux” with “Unix” in each line.

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Unix kernel. Operating systems based on Unix are known as Unix distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Unix, and many others.

In-Place Editing

The `-i enables in-place editing of the file. In simple words it overwrites the file.

sed -i ‘s/Linux/Unix/’ file1.txt

This command edits the file in place, replacing “Linux” with “Unix” directly in file1.txt. Without -i, the insertion occurs only in the output and doesn’t modify the file content. To make the change persistent, you need to use the -i option.

Delete Specific Lines

sed ‘2d’ file1.txt

This command will delete the second line from file1.txt.

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Unix, and many others.

Print Specific Lines

The -n suppresses automatic printing of pattern space and p is the print command.

sed -n ‘1,2p’ file1.txt

This command prints lines 1 through 2 from file1.txt.

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Unix kernel. Operating systems based on Unix are known as Unix distributions or distros.

Delete Lines Matching a Pattern

The /pattern/ matches lines containing the pattern and the d flag deletes matched lines.

sed ‘/kernel/d’ file1.txt

This command will delete all the lines containing the word “kernel”.

Output:

Output

Operating systems based on Unix are known as Unix distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Unix, and many others.

Substitute with a Backup File

The below command will replace all the instances of “Unix” with “Linux” and create a backup file named file1.txt.bak with older file content before replacing. The -i.bak enables in-place editing and creates a backup file.

sed -i.bak ‘s/Unix/Linux/g’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

And, here is the file content of the backup file file1.txt.bak.

more file1.txt.bak

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Unix kernel. Operating systems based on Unix are known as Unix distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Unix, and many others.

Replace Tabs with Spaces

The below command will replace each tab character with four spaces. The t flag matches tab characters and the /g flag is for the global replacement across the line.

sed ‘s/t/ /g’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. Examples include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Remove Empty Lines

The below command will delete all the empty lines from file1.txt. The /^$ matches empty lines and /d flag deletes matched lines.

sed ‘/^$/d’ file1.txt

You can edit the file1.txt file using vi text editor and add some empty lines to test this command.

Print Lines Matching a Pattern

The below command prints only the lines containing “Ubuntu”.

sed -n ‘/Ubuntu/p’ file1.txt

The -n option suppresses automatic printing. /Ubuntu/ matches lines containing the pattern. and the p prints matched lines.

Output:

Output

Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

This section consists of some advanced and more complicated use cases of the sed command.

Insert Text Before a Line

The below command inserts “This is inserted text.” before the second line in file1.txt.

sed -i ‘2iThis is inserted text.’ file1.txt

The -i option is for in-place editing and the 2i flag inserts text before the 2nd line.

Note: Without -i, the insertion occurs only in the output and doesn’t modify the file content. To make the change persistent, you need to use the -i option with the sed command.

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Replacing the nth occurrence of a pattern in a line

Use the /1 or /2 flags to replace the first, second occurrence of a pattern in a line. The below command replaces the second occurrence of the word “Linux” with “Unix” in a line.

sed ‘s/Linux/Unix/2’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Unix kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Unix distributions or distros. Examples includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Append String After a Line

The below command appends “This is appended text.” after the third line in file1.txt. THe -i option makes sure the changes are saved and the 3a appends text after the specified third line.

sed -i ‘3aThis is appended text.’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. This is appended text. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Replace String at the Beginning of a Line

The ^ flag is used to match a specific pattern at the start of a line. The below command replaces “Linux” with “Unix” only if “Linux” appears at the start of a line.

sed ‘s/^Linux/Unix/’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. This is appended text. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Replace String at the End of a Line

The below command replaces “distros.” with “distributions” only if it appears at the end of a line. The $ flag is used to match a specific pattern to the end of a line.

sed ‘s/distros.$/distributions/’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distributions. This is appended text. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Case-Insensitive Replacement

The below command replaces “linux” with “Unix” ignoring case sensitivity. The I flag makes the match case-insensitive.

sed ‘s/linux/Unix/I’ file1.txt

The below command prints all lines between “inserted” and “appended”, inclusive.

sed -n ‘/inserted/,/appended/p’ file1.txt

1. ,: Range operator to match lines between two patterns.

2. p: Prints matched lines.

And the -n option to suppress automatic printing of lines.

Output:

Output

This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. This is appended text.

Process Multiple Files

The following command replaces “Linux” with “Unix” in both file1.txt and file2.txt and overwrites the file.

sed -i ‘s/Linux/Unix/’ file1.txt file2.txt

Format and Number Non-Empty Lines

The below command adds line numbers to non-empty lines in file1.txt.

sed ‘/./=’ file1.txt | sed ‘N;s/n/ /’

1. /./=: Matches non-empty lines and numbers them.

2. N: Appends the next line to the pattern space.

3. s/n/ /: Replaces the newline character with a space.

Output:

Output

1 Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. 2 This is inserted text. 3 Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distros. 4 This is appended text. 5 Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Replacing string on a specific line number

You can restrict the sed command to replace the string on a specific line number. The below command replaces the string “distros” with “distributions” only on the third line.

sed ‘3 s/distros/distributions/’ file1.txt

Output:

Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Linux are known as Linux distributions or distributions. This is appended text. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Replacing string on a range of lines

You can also specify a range of line numbers to the sed command for replacing a string. The below command replaces only the first occurences of “Linux” with “Unix” between lines 1 to 3.

sed ‘1,3 s/Linux/Unix/’ file1.txt

Output:

Output

Unix is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This is inserted text. Operating systems based on Unix are known as Linux distributions or distros. This is appended text. Example includes Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, Arch Linux, and many others.

Processing large files with sed can become resource-intensive, especially when dealing with numerous operations or very large datasets. Here are some tips to optimize performance and ensure efficient use of the sed command:

1.Use -n to minimize unnecessary output – The -n option suppresses automatic printing of each line and ensures only the desired output is displayed. This reduces overhead when working with large files.

Example:

sed -n ‘/pattern/p’ largefile.txt

2.Simplify Scripts – Minimize the number of operations in a single command. For instance, instead of applying multiple sed commands sequentially, combine them into a single script to reduce file reads.

Example:

sed -e ‘s/foo/bar/’ -e ‘/pattern/d’ largefile.txt

3.Stream Input with Pipes: – When processing data from other commands or streams, use pipes to avoid intermediate file creation and reduce disk I/O.

Example:

cat largefile.txt | sed ‘s/foo/bar/’ > output.txt

4.Avoid In-Place Editing on Large Files – Instead of directly modifying large files, write output to a new file and replace the original after verifying correctness.

Example:

sed ‘s/old/new/’ largefile.txt > temp.txt && mv temp.txt largefile.txt

5.Benchmark Alternatives – For very large files, consider using tools like awk, perl, or grep, which may offer better performance for certain tasks.

Example:

awk ‘{gsub(/old/, “new”); print}’ largefile.txt > output.txt

You can refer to these tutorials on AWK command in Linux and How To Use the AWK language to Manipulate Text in Linux to learn more about using awk command in linux.

The sed command is commonly used in shell scripts to automate repetitive text manipulation tasks. Here’s an example:

#!/bin/bash sed ‘s/foo/bar/g’ input.txt > output.txt

This script processes input.txt and writes the modified output to output.txt.

While sed is an effective and lightweight tool for basic text processing, modern alternatives such as awk and perl offer additional functionality, making them better suited for specific tasks. Here’s a breakdown of key differences and when to use each:

When to Use sed

• Quick, simple text substitutions or deletions.
• Line-based transformations in files.
• Tasks requiring minimal scripting overhead.

When to Use awk

• Handling structured data such as CSV or TSV files.
• Performing arithmetic calculations alongside text processing.
• Generating formatted reports from input data.

Example:

awk -F, ‘{print $1, $3}’ data.csv

This extracts and prints the first and third fields from a CSV file.

When to Use perl

• Complex text manipulations involving advanced regular expressions.
• Combining text processing with logic or conditions.
• Writing compact, yet powerful scripts.

Example:

perl -pe ‘s/(error)/WARNING: $1/’ logfile.txt

This adds a “WARNING:” prefix to lines containing the word “error”.

Mastering the sed command enhances your ability to manipulate and process text efficiently in Linux. Its powerful features and seamless integration into scripts make it a valuable tool for text-based manipulation tasks.

Next Steps

After mastering the basics of sed, you can learn more advanced techniques and use cases. You can use the below series of tutorials on sed and related topics that can help you deepen your understanding and improve your text processing skills:

These tutorials cover various topics, from basic sed operations to more complex text manipulation techniques. They are a valuable resource for anyone looking to become proficient in text processing on the command line.

What is sed command in Linux?

The sed (Stream Editor) command in Linux is a powerful text processing tool used to perform basic text transformations on an input stream (a file or input from a pipeline). It allows you to search, replace, delete, and insert text, making it highly useful for automating text manipulation tasks.

When to use sed?

You can use sed in the following scenarios:

• Text Replacement: Replace words, phrases, or patterns in files or streams.
• Text Deletion: Remove specific lines or patterns.
• In-place Editing: Modify files directly without needing to open a text editor.
• Batch Processing: Perform the same operation on multiple files using scripts.
• Text Insertion/Extraction: Insert or extract specific text in structured files like configuration files or logs.

How to use sed properly?

To use sed effectively, follow these steps:

sed [options] ‘command’ file

• command: The sed operation (e.g., s for substitute, d for delete).
• file: The target file to process.

Test Before Applying In-place: First, run the command without the -i’ option to see the output before modifying files directly.

Use Regular Expressions: Leverage sed’s support for regular expressions to match and manipulate complex patterns.

Chain Multiple Commands: Use ; or -e to execute multiple sed commands in a single operation.

How to use sed to replace text?

To replace text, use the substitute s command with this syntax:

sed ‘s/old_text/new_text/’ file

Examples:

• Replace the first occurrence of “foo” with “bar” on each line:

sed ‘s/foo/bar/’ file.txt

• Replace all occurrences of “foo” with “bar” globally:

sed ‘s/foo/bar/g’ file.txt

• In-place replacement (modifies the file directly):

sed -i ‘s/foo/bar/g’ file.txt

How do I run a sed command?

You can run a sed command directly from the terminal using this basic syntax:

sed ‘command’ filename

Example:

To print lines containing the word “error” and replace “error” with “warning” in a file named log.txt:

sed ‘s/error/warning/’ log.txt

What is the difference between grep and sed commands in Linux?

Feature	grep	sed
Purpose	Search for patterns in one or more files	Edit streams of text
Output	Prints lines containing the pattern	Prints the edited text
Actions	Search, Filter	Search, Replace, Insert, Delete
Usage	grep pattern file	sed ‘command’ file
Search and Replace	Yes (limited)	Yes
In-place Editing	No	Yes
Regular Expressions	Yes	Yes
Multiline Operations	No	Yes
Text Filtering	No	Yes
Common Use Cases	Searching logs, Finding patterns in text	Editing configuration files, Replacing text in multiple files

Example:

• Using grep to search for “error” in log.txt:

grep ‘error’ log.txt

• Using sed to replace “error” with “warning” in log.txt:

sed ‘s/error/warning/g’ log.txt

How to remove an empty line using sed?

To remove empty lines from a file, use the following sed command:

sed ‘/^$/d’ file.txt

Explanation:

• ^$: Matches empty lines (lines with no characters).
• d: Deletes the matched lines.

Example:

Before running the command, a file might look like this:

line 1 line 2 line 3

After running the command:

sed ‘/^$/d’ file.txt

The output will be:

Output

line 1 line 2 line 3