What is the purpose of the 'grep' command in Linux?

The 'grep' command in Linux is primarily used to search through text or search for specific patterns within files. It stands for "Global Regular Expression Print," and it's a powerful tool that allows users to filter text by matching lines that contain the specified search term or pattern. This command is particularly useful for analyzing log files, scripts, and any text data where you need to find specific information quickly and efficiently.

When combined with various options, 'grep' can refine searches even further, allowing for case sensitivity, inversing matches, counting occurrences, and more. Its role in text searching and processing makes it an essential tool for anyone involved in data manipulation or software development in a Linux environment.