Rga: Ripgrep, but also search in PDFs, E-Books, Office documents, zip, etc. (github.com)

Article summary

Rga is a line-oriented search tool that extends the capabilities of ripgrep to search in various file types, including PDFs, E-Books, Office documents, zip, tar.gz, and more. It uses adapters to convert binary or unreadable text documents to plain text, allowing for accurate searching. Rga can be installed on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and has various options for customization and integration with other tools. The tool is designed to be fast and efficient, with caching and recursive searching capabilities.

Main themes

• Search tools
• File type support
• Ripgrep extension
• Security considerations
• Integration and customization

What commenters say

• Some commenters have suggested alternative search tools, such as ugrep, which may offer similar functionality to rga.
• The security implications of executing code within documents, such as macros in Office documents or JavaScript in PDFs, are a concern for some users.
• Others have noted that rga's use of external tools, such as poppler for PDFs, may introduce security vulnerabilities, but these can be mitigated with proper configuration and precautions.
• There is a desire for a standardized component or API for indexing and searching documents across different operating systems and platforms.
• Some users have successfully integrated rga with other tools, such as fzf, to provide interactive search capabilities.
• The performance of rga compared to other search tools, such as ugrep, is a topic of discussion, with some benchmarks suggesting that rga may be faster.
• Support for additional file types, such as XLSX, is being developed and discussed in the comments.
• The trade-off between accuracy and security when searching documents is a consideration, with some users opting for more secure but less accurate searching, while others prioritize accuracy.