ack

{
  "aliases": [],
  "alternatives": [
    "grep",
    "ripgrep",
    "ag",
    "ugrep"
  ],
  "build_dependencies": [
    "pod2man"
  ],
  "categories": [
    "search",
    "text-processor"
  ],
  "caveats": null,
  "conflicts_with": [],
  "dependencies": [],
  "deprecated": 0,
  "deprecation_reason": null,
  "desc": "Search tool like grep, but optimized for programmers",
  "disable_reason": null,
  "disabled": 0,
  "enrichment_fetched_at": "2026-06-20T23:35:16+00:00",
  "first_seen": "2026-06-20T23:34:18+00:00",
  "full_name": "ack",
  "github_default_branch": null,
  "github_last_commit_at": null,
  "github_readme_excerpt": null,
  "github_repo": null,
  "github_stars": null,
  "github_topics": [],
  "homepage": "https://beyondgrep.com/",
  "homepage_og_description": null,
  "homepage_og_image": null,
  "homepage_title": "Beyond grep: ack v3.10.0",
  "installs_30d": 2721,
  "installs_365d": 14893,
  "installs_90d": 4957,
  "keg_only": 0,
  "keg_only_reason": null,
  "last_seen": "2026-06-20T23:34:18+00:00",
  "license": "Artistic-2.0",
  "llm_generated_at": "2026-06-20T23:47:19+00:00",
  "llm_model": "claude-haiku-4-5",
  "name": "ack",
  "oldnames": [],
  "one_liner": "Perl-based search tool optimized for source code, faster and more intuitive than grep for programmers.",
  "optional_dependencies": [],
  "rank_30d": 835,
  "rank_365d": 1226,
  "rank_90d": 1093,
  "raw_hash": "e481bbb0c59ea138",
  "recommended_dependencies": [],
  "revision": 0,
  "ruby_source_path": "Formula/a/ack.rb",
  "tap": "homebrew/core",
  "test_dependencies": [],
  "uses_from_macos": [
    "perl"
  ],
  "version_head": "HEAD",
  "version_stable": "3.10.0",
  "versioned_formulae": [],
  "why_use_this": "ack skips version control directories (.git, .svn) and other cruft by default, making it much faster for searching codebases. It\u0027s smarter about file types (knows C, Python, Rust, etc.) and uses sensible regex defaults that feel natural to developers. If grep is your fallback, ack saves you from constantly writing find pipelines."
}