Why fd Beats find: Fast, Parallel File Searching with Rust

Many Linux developers rely on the find command, but its performance and output can be limited for large searches. The fd tool, written in Rust, offers sensible defaults, parallel directory traversal, regex and glob support, and a more ergonomic interface.

Installation

On Linux you can install fd from your distribution’s package manager (e.g., sudo dnf install fd-find on Fedora). On macOS it is available via Homebrew ( brew install fd) or MacPorts. Alternatively, you can install it directly with Cargo:

cargo install fd-find

Basic Usage

Running fd with a pattern searches the current directory recursively. For example: fd sh To limit the search to a specific directory, provide the directory as a second argument:

fd passwd /etc

Filtering by Extension

Use the -e option to restrict results to a particular file extension:

fd . '/home/ssur/exa' -e md

Executing Commands on Matches

The -x (or --exec) option runs an external command for each match, while -X (or --exec-batch) passes all matches to a single command. Example – unzip every ZIP file found:

fd -e zip -x unzip

Time‑Based Filters

Find files changed within the last n days with --changed-within: fd . '/home/ssur/Work/' --changed-within 10d Find files changed before a certain period with --changed-before:

fd . '/home/ssur/Work/' --changed-before 365d

Case Sensitivity

Search patterns are case‑insensitive by default, making it easy to locate files without exact case knowledge. If the pattern contains an uppercase letter, fd automatically switches to case‑sensitive matching.

Conclusion

The fd utility provides a fast, color‑coded, and feature‑rich alternative to find, simplifying common file‑search tasks across Linux and macOS environments.