# svent/sift

A fast and powerful alternative to grep

Repository: https://github.com/svent/sift
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sift
Homepage: https://sift-tool.org
Language: Go
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-06-30T21:07:43+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 81/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 90, release rhythm 58, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4231, "days_push": 64, "days_rel": 64, "gap_med": 272, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1651, forks 109 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:16.994832+00:00)

## What it is
sift is a fast, single-binary command-line text search tool written in Go, designed as a powerful alternative to grep. It combines grep-like speed with modern features such as .gitignore support, multiline matching, conditions, and configurable defaults via global or local config files.

## Use cases
- search codebases for a pattern like grep but faster
- search logs for security incidents and digital forensics
- find php files calling mysql_query near user input for code audits
- search large files over 50GB quickly
- respect .gitignore when searching a repository
- search gzip files and multiline patterns
- configure default search behavior per project or system-wide

## When to choose
- you want a fast grep replacement with safe, searchable-everywhere defaults
- you need .gitignore-aware code search or multiline matching
- you do code audits or log/forensics searches with contextual conditions
- you need a dependency-free single binary that runs on any platform or remote server

## When to avoid
- you need a widely adopted tool with a large community and plugin ecosystem
- you require drop-in compatibility with every grep flag in existing scripts
- you prefer actively maintained tools with frequent updates and pull-request contributions

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: search-engine, cli, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: windows, bsd, cli, cross-platform
- tags: grep-alternative, text-search, code-search, log-search, digital-forensics, gitignore-support, multiline-matching, single-binary, command-line, search, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- svent/sift (main) score 81

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:16.994832+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:45:03.103305+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/svent/sift (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:16.994832+00:00, sha bf3a45dc3530)
  - homepage: https://sift-tool.org (fetched 2026-08-29T11:18:06.206899+00:00, sha 3e3a728d5b67)
  - site_page: https://sift-tool.org/features (fetched 2026-08-29T11:18:06.209891+00:00, sha 847a5bf2f06f)
  - site_page: https://sift-tool.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T11:18:06.212060+00:00, sha 7baa3b24a975)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.