The sed command (short for Stream Editor) is a Linux utility designed for processing and transforming text streams. It reads input text line by line, applies text manipulations based on specified commands or scripts, and outputs the modified text. The sed command is commonly used for tasks like searching, replacing, inserting, deleting, and transforming text within files or from standard input (stdin).
Some of the characteristics include:
- Stream-Oriented: Operates line-by-line on input streams, making it efficient for large files.
- Non-Interactive: Executes commands without requiring user interaction.
- Regex Support: Uses powerful regular expressions (regex) for pattern matching and text manipulation.
- Versatile: Performs a wide range of operations, from simple replacements to complex text transformations.
- In-Place Editing: With the -i option, it can modify files directly, eliminating the need for intermediate files.
