ast-grep vs LXR Cross Referencer
ast-grep
ast-grep.github.ioLXR Cross Referencer
lxr.sourceforge.ioSide by side
| Figure | ast-grep | LXR Cross Referencer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Code Search Tools | 9.1 (#1) | 7.6 (#21) |
| Purpose | ast-grep is a fast, polyglot tool for structural code search, linting, and rewriting at scale. | LXR indexes and cross-references source code for web browsing, linking identifiers to their definitions and uses. |
| Support | The project directs users with questions or issues to GitHub or Discord and also points to Stack Overflow and Reddit. | The project directs users to its forum and trackers to contact developers and report issues. |
Plans
In their own words
ast-grep
ast-grep is a free, open-source tool for structural code search, linting, and rewriting. It matches patterns against syntax-tree nodes, helping developers locate and change code across a codebase rather than searching plain text. Its CLI can preview and apply rewrites interactively, and scan configurable YAML rules with error, warning, info, or hint severity. Rules can combine pattern, kind, regex, relational, and composite conditions, and CLI commands help create and snapshot-test them. The project says it supports more than 20 languages and can load custom languages. JavaScript and WebAssembly APIs allow programmatic syntax-tree work; a browser playground offers a way to try patterns without local installation. Editor options include a VS Code extension and language-server setups, including for Vim and Neovim. The tool is free, has a web interface, and is distributed through package managers or built from source. Its FAQ notes that some advanced static-analysis information is unsupported, and one rule cannot target multiple languages at once.
LXR Cross Referencer
LXR Cross Referencer has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.