How do I extract config values from between BEGIN and END markers?
Aug 13, 2026
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by John Britto
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1 min read
Quick Linux Tip #43 :
Try: sed -n '/BEGIN CERTIFICATE/,/END CERTIFICATE/p' /etc/ssl/certs/server.crt
Info: sed -n suppresses automatic printing. The pattern '/START/,/END/p' prints all lines between two matching delimiters (inclusive).
Examples:
$ sed -n '/^\[database\]/,/^$/p' config.ini # Extract section until empty line
$ awk '/BEGIN/,/END/' file.txt # Equivalent using awk
$ sed -n '/ERROR/,+5p' logfile # Print ERROR line plus next 5 lines
Note: Range matching /X/,/Y/ works line-by-line from first match of X to next match of Y. The +N relative line count syntax is a GNU sed extension.
LinuxTeck.com
linuxteck@ubuntu:~$ sed -n '/BEGIN CERTIFICATE/,/END CERTIFICATE/p' /etc/ssl/certs/server.crt
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIEzzCCA1ugAwIBAgI...
cm5ldGVzM...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
linuxteck@ubuntu:~$ sed -n '/^\[database\]/,/^$/p' /etc/myapp/config.ini
[database]
host = 127.0.0.1
port = 5432
user = dbuser
linuxteck@ubuntu:~$
About John Britto
John Britto Founder & Chief-Editor @LinuxTeck. A Computer Geek and Linux Intellectual having more than 20+ years of experience in Linux and Open Source technologies.
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