sd is a modern command-line utility that makes search and replace operations intuitive and efficient. It replaces the complexity of traditional tools like sed with a cleaner, more readable approach to text manipulation.

Key advantages over sed:

Readable syntax - Find and replace expressions are clearly separated, eliminating confusing escaped slashes and special character escaping
String-literal mode - Use the -F flag for non-regex replacements without worrying about escaping special characters
Familiar regex patterns - Supports JavaScript and Python-style regex syntax you already know
Smart defaults - Sensible configuration for everyday use cases without requiring multiple flags
Exceptional performance - Benchmarks show sd is 2-11x faster than sed for both simple and complex replacements

Core features:

Indexed and named capture groups for flexible replacements
Line-by-line processing (3MB memory) or across-mode for multi-line patterns
In-place file modification with preview option
Seamless integration with other Unix tools
Handles edge cases like patterns containing slashes without delimiter confusion

Common use cases:

Trim trailing whitespace, extract and reformat data, replace across entire projects, modify configuration files, and process large datasets efficiently. Whether you need simple literal replacements or complex regex transformations, sd delivers with minimal syntax overhead and maximum clarity.