# man > SED(1) > **TLDR:** Edit text in a scriptable manner. > - Replace all `apple` (basic `regex`) occurrences with `mango` (basic `regex`) in all input lines and print the result to `stdout`: `{{command}} | sed 's/apple/mango/g'` - Execute a specific script [f]ile and print the result to `stdout`: `{{command}} | sed -f {{path/to/script.sed}}` - Print just a first line to `stdout`: `{{command}} | sed -n '1p'` *Source: tldr-pages* --- [SED(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SED/1/markdown) User Commands [SED(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SED/1/markdown) ## NAME sed - stream editor for filtering and transforming text ## SYNOPSIS **sed** [_OPTION_]... _{script-only-if-no-other-script}_ [_input-file_]... ## DESCRIPTION _Sed_ is a stream editor. A stream editor is used to perform basic text transformations on an input stream (a file or input from a pipeline). While in some ways similar to an editor which permits scripted edits (such as _ed_), _sed_ works by making only one pass over the in‐ put(s), and is consequently more efficient. But it is _sed_'s ability to filter text in a pipeline which particularly distinguishes it from other types of editors. ### -n --quiet --silent suppress automatic printing of pattern space ### --debug annotate program execution ### -e --expression add the script to the commands to be executed ### -f --file add the contents of script-file to the commands to be executed ### --follow-symlinks follow symlinks when processing in place ### -i[SUFFIX] --in-place edit files in place (makes backup if SUFFIX supplied) ### -l --line-length specify the desired line-wrap length for the `l' command ### --posix disable all GNU extensions. ### -E -r --regexp-extended use extended regular expressions in the script (for portability use POSIX **-E**). ### -s --separate consider files as separate rather than as a single, continuous long stream. ### --sandbox operate in sandbox mode (disable e/r/w commands). ### -u --unbuffered load minimal amounts of data from the input files and flush the output buffers more often ### -z --null-data separate lines by NUL characters ### --help display this help and exit ### --version output version information and exit If no **-e**, **--expression**, **-f**, or **--file** option is given, then the first non-option argument is taken as the sed script to interpret. All remaining arguments are names of input files; if no input files are specified, then the standard input is read. GNU sed home page: <>. General help using GNU software: <>. E-mail bug reports to: <>. ## COMMAND SYNOPSIS This is just a brief synopsis of _sed_ commands to serve as a reminder to those who already know _sed_; other documentation (such as the texinfo document) must be consulted for fuller de‐ scriptions. ### Zero-address ``commands'' : _label_ Label for **b** and **t** commands. #_comment_ The comment extends until the next newline (or the end of a **-e** script fragment). } The closing bracket of a { } block. ### Zero- or One- address commands = Print the current line number. a \ _text_ Append _text_, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash. i \ _text_ Insert _text_, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash. q [_exit-code_] Immediately quit the _sed_ script without processing any more input, except that if auto-print is not disabled the current pattern space will be printed. The exit code argument is a GNU extension. Q [_exit-code_] Immediately quit the _sed_ script without processing any more input. This is a GNU ex‐ tension. r _filename_ Append text read from _filename_. R _filename_ Append a line read from _filename_. Each invocation of the command reads a line from the file. This is a GNU extension. ### Commands which accept address ranges { Begin a block of commands (end with a }). b _label_ Branch to _label_; if _label_ is omitted, branch to end of script. c \ _text_ Replace the selected lines with _text_, which has each embedded newline preceded by a backslash. d Delete pattern space. Start next cycle. D If pattern space contains no newline, start a normal new cycle as if the d command was issued. Otherwise, delete text in the pattern space up to the first newline, and restart cycle with the resultant pattern space, without reading a new line of input. h H Copy/append pattern space to hold space. g G Copy/append hold space to pattern space. l List out the current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form. l _width_ List out the current line in a ``visually unambiguous'' form, breaking it at _width_ characters. This is a GNU extension. n N Read/append the next line of input into the pattern space. p Print the current pattern space. P Print up to the first embedded newline of the current pattern space. s/_regexp_/_replacement_/ Attempt to match _regexp_ against the pattern space. If successful, replace that por‐ tion matched with _replacement_. The _replacement_ may contain the special character **&** to refer to that portion of the pattern space which matched, and the special escapes \1 through \9 to refer to the corresponding matching sub-expressions in the _regexp_. t _label_ If a s/// has done a successful substitution since the last input line was read and since the last t or T command, then branch to _label_; if _label_ is omitted, branch to end of script. T _label_ If no s/// has done a successful substitution since the last input line was read and since the last t or T command, then branch to _label_; if _label_ is omitted, branch to end of script. This is a GNU extension. w _filename_ Write the current pattern space to _filename_. W _filename_ Write the first line of the current pattern space to _filename_. This is a GNU exten‐ sion. x Exchange the contents of the hold and pattern spaces. y/_source_/_dest_/ Transliterate the characters in the pattern space which appear in _source_ to the corre‐ sponding character in _dest_. ## Addresses _Sed_ commands can be given with no addresses, in which case the command will be executed for all input lines; with one address, in which case the command will only be executed for input lines which match that address; or with two addresses, in which case the command will be exe‐ cuted for all input lines which match the inclusive range of lines starting from the first address and continuing to the second address. Three things to note about address ranges: the syntax is _addr1_,_addr2_ (i.e., the addresses are separated by a comma); the line which _addr1_ matched will always be accepted, even if _addr2_ selects an earlier line; and if _addr2_ is a _regexp_, it will not be tested against the line that _addr1_ matched. After the address (or address-range), and before the command, a **!** may be inserted, which specifies that the command shall only be executed if the address (or address-range) does **not** match. The following address types are supported: _number_ Match only the specified line _number_ (which increments cumulatively across files, un‐ less the **-s** option is specified on the command line). _first_~_step_ Match every _step_'th line starting with line _first_. For example, ``sed -n 1~2p'' will print all the odd-numbered lines in the input stream, and the address 2~5 will match every fifth line, starting with the second. _first_ can be zero; in this case, _sed_ op‐ erates as if it were equal to _step_. (This is an extension.) $ Match the last line. /_regexp_/ Match lines matching the regular expression _regexp_. Matching is performed on the cur‐ rent pattern space, which can be modified with commands such as ``s///''. \**c**_regexp_**c** Match lines matching the regular expression _regexp_. The **c** may be any character. GNU _sed_ also supports some special 2-address forms: 0,_addr2_ Start out in "matched first address" state, until _addr2_ is found. This is similar to 1,_addr2_, except that if _addr2_ matches the very first line of input the 0,_addr2_ form will be at the end of its range, whereas the 1,_addr2_ form will still be at the begin‐ ning of its range. This works only when _addr2_ is a regular expression. _addr1_,+_N_ Will match _addr1_ and the _N_ lines following _addr1_. _addr1_,~_N_ Will match _addr1_ and the lines following _addr1_ until the next line whose input line number is a multiple of _N_. ## REGULAR EXPRESSIONS POSIX.2 BREs _should_ be supported, but they aren't completely because of performance problems. The **\n** sequence in a regular expression matches the newline character, and similarly for **\a**, **\t**, and other sequences. The _-E_ option switches to using extended regular expressions in‐ stead; it has been supported for years by GNU sed, and is now included in POSIX. ## BUGS E-mail bug reports to ****. Also, please include the output of ``sed --version'' in the body of your report if at all possible. ## AUTHOR Written by Jay Fenlason, Tom Lord, Ken Pizzini, Paolo Bonzini, Jim Meyering, and Assaf Gor‐ don. This sed program was built with SELinux support. SELinux is enabled on this system. GNU sed home page: <>. General help using GNU software: <>. E-mail bug reports to: <>. ## COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. ## SEE ALSO [**awk**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/awk/1/markdown), [**ed**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ed/1/markdown), [**grep**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/grep/1/markdown), [**tr**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tr/1/markdown), [**perlre**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/perlre/1/markdown), sed.info, any of various books on _sed_, the _sed_ FAQ (), . The full documentation for **sed** is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the **info** and **sed** pro‐ grams are properly installed at your site, the command **info** **sed** should give you access to the complete manual. sed 4.8 January 2020 [SED(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SED/1/markdown)