Comby vs Semantic Designs Source Code Search Engine
Comby
comby.devSemantic Designs Source Code Search Engine
semanticdesigns.comSide by side
| Figure | Comby | Semantic Designs Source Code Search Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 2 |
| Spec score · Code Search Tools | 7.7 (#15) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Integration | Comby can be used through Python bindings, its command line, or HTTP requests to a server run on the user's machine. | Search results can be produced in XML for communication with other graphical user interfaces; the page illustrates an interface developed for IBM Rational Development for System Z. |
| Language coverage | Comby lists basic parsers for languages including C/C++, Go, JavaScript, Python, Rust, and TypeScript, with a generic matcher for other formats. | The maker lists scanners for languages including ABAP, C, C++, COBOL, Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, SQL dialects, and XML, with additional beta scanners and custom scanner options. |
| Purpose | Comby is a tool for searching and changing code structure using lightweight templates. | The product interactively searches large source-code bases using language structure instead of only literal text matching. |
| Support | The help page directs users to the Gitter channel for usage questions and pattern-writing help, and to GitHub issues for installation problems. | The maker provides [email protected] for inquiries and says custom scanners can be built for unusual languages, dialects, or structured text. |
Plans
Semantic Designs Source Code Search Engine
- Evaluation versionFree
- Production licensePriced on request
In their own words
Comby
Comby is a free, open-source tool for searching and changing code structure with lightweight templates. It recognizes basic syntax in code, strings, and comments across many languages, with parsers listed for C/C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, Rust, Swift, and TypeScript, plus a generic matcher for other formats. The project targets large refactors and one-off changes, and an interactive review mode lets users inspect proposed edits. Comby can run from its command line, Python bindings, or HTTP requests sent to a server on your machine. Installation instructions cover macOS with Homebrew, Ubuntu, Windows through Ubuntu on WSL, and Docker; building from source is also described. Linked projects include an Emacs package and a prototype VS Code extension. Other uses include structural code search, compiler fuzzing, test-case reduction, editor find and replace, and academic research. Comby matches balanced delimiters while accounting for comments and string literals, and supports regex search. It is self-hosted and available for API, Linux, macOS, and Windows use. The Apache-2.0 license is identified in the public repository.
Semantic Designs Source Code Search Engine
Semantic Designs Source Code Search Engine searches and inspects indexed code using language structure, so queries can target constructs and complex statements as well as text patterns. It supports regular expressions and numeric values or ranges, and searches can disregard whitespace, line breaks, and comments. The maker says it can search millions of lines across tens of thousands of source files. Results include surrounding code and highlighted matches; users can open source text or launch an editor on the matching file. The engine also calculates Cyclomatic and Halstead complexity metrics and counts source, code, comment, and blank lines. Listed scanners include ABAP, C, C++, COBOL, Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP, SQL dialects, and XML, with beta scanners and custom options. Files are collected, scanned, and indexed on a recurring schedule. Results can be produced in XML for other graphical interfaces. The free evaluation covers 10,000 lines and requires registration; its license ends 90 days after download. Pricing for a production license is available on request.