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fd

A faster, simpler replacement for find

1. What is fd?

fd is a command-line tool for finding files and directories.

Think of it as:

find, but human-friendly

fd is designed with sane defaults, clear syntax, and excellent performance.

2. Why use fd?

Compared to find, fd:

  • ⚡ Is much faster
  • ✨ Has simple syntax
  • 🧠 Uses smart defaults
  • 🚫 Respects .gitignore
  • 🎨 Has colored output
  • 🦀 Written in Rust

3. Installing fd

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install fd

On macOS, the binary is usually named fd.

Linux

sudo apt install fd-find

On some distros, use:

fdisk --version

Then create an alias:

alias fd=fdfind

4. Basic usage

4.1 Find files by name

fd main

Finds all files and directories with main in the name.

4.2 Find only files

fd -t f main

Find only directories

fd -t d src

4.3 Search in a specific directory

fd main src/

5. Pattern matching (very important)

By default, fd uses regular expressions.

Simple substring match

fd test

Matches:

test.c
my_test_file.txt

Exact match

fd '^main$'

File extension

fd '\.c$'

6. Case sensitivity

  • Case-sensitive by default
fd -i readme

7. Ignore rules

By default, fd ignores:

  • .gitignore
  • .ignore
  • .fdignore
  • Hidden files

Include hidden files

fd -H config

Ignore .gitignore

fd -I main

8. Excluding paths

Exclude a directory

fd main -E target

Exclude multiple paths

fd main -E node_modules -E .git

9. Run commands on results (-x)

One of the most powerful features.

Example: delete matched files

fd '\.tmp$' -x rm

Format:

fd PATTERN -x command {}

Example: open files in editor

fd '\.c$' -x vim

10. Combine fd with rg

Find files first, then search inside them:

fd '\.c$' | xargs rg malloc

11. Limit search depth

Search only current directory

fd main -d 1

12. Show full paths

fd main -p

13. fd vs find (quick comparison)

Feature fd find
Simple syntax ✅ ❌
Fast ⚡ 🐢
.gitignore aware ✅ ❌
Colored output ✅ ❌

14. Common beginner mistakes

❌ Using *

fd *.c   # ❌

✅ Correct

fd '\.c$'

❌ Expecting glob behavior

Remember: regex, not glob.

15. Typical workflow examples

fd readme
fd '\.md$'
fd -t d src
fd test -E build
fd '\.log$' -x rm

16. Summary

fd gives you:

  • Faster file searches
  • Cleaner syntax
  • Safer defaults
  • Less typing

Once you try it, going back to find feels painful.

Task Tool
Jump directories zoxide
Find files fd
Search content ripgrep
Interactive filter fzf

A modern terminal stack 🚀