sed
Stream editor for transforming text.
KaliParrotLinuxpassive
pkg: sed
sed edits streams non-interactively — substitute, delete and insert across files and pipelines.
Syntax
sed 's/old/new/g' [file]
Example
sed -n 's/.*token=\([a-f0-9]*\).*/\1/p' file
Extracts a hex token value from each matching line.
Options & flags
What each switch does. Toggle them in the builder below to assemble a command.
Command builder
Tick options (and fill any values) to build a ready-to-copy command.
sed
Usage examples
sed 's/foo/bar/g' file
Replace every foo with bar.
sed -n '10,20p' file
Print only lines 10-20.
Advantages
- Fast in-place edits
- Regex power in pipes
Disadvantages
- Regex syntax pitfalls
- Hard to read
Tags
#text#scripting
Official docs: GNU sed ↗
Related commands
Frequently asked questions
What is sed used for?
sed edits streams non-interactively — substitute, delete and insert across files and pipelines.
What is an example sed command?
A common example is: sed -n 's/.*token=\([a-f0-9]*\).*/\1/p' file — Extracts a hex token value from each matching line.
Is sed part of Kali Linux?
Yes. sed ships with Kali Linux (and Parrot OS). If missing, install it with: sudo apt install sed.
What category of security tool is sed?
sed is a Core Linux tool with a passive-risk profile when run against a live target.
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