How to search for a specific port in FreeBSD

When you need to check if FreeBSD ports contain a specific software, one needs to either use "find /usr/ports" or make use of the "make" utility.

Searching for bash in FreeBSD ports:

Code:

# make -C /usr/ports/ search key=bash | grep -vE "B-deps|R-deps" | less
...
Port:   tuntun-0.4.0_3
Path:   /usr/ports/security/tuntun
Info:   A Gnome applet gui for OpenVPN
Maint:  anderson@cnpm.embrapa.br
WWW:    http://code.google.com/p/tuntun/

Port:   unssh-1.4
Path:   /usr/ports/security/unssh
Info:   Fast way to delete entries from OpenSSH known_hosts file
Maint:  semprix@gmx.com
WWW:    http://unssh.sourceforge.net/

Port:   bash-4.1.10
Path:   /usr/ports/shells/bash
Info:   The GNU Project's Bourne Again SHell
Maint:  obrien@FreeBSD.org
WWW:    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/bash/bashtop.html

Port:   bash-completion-1.3,1
Path:   /usr/ports/shells/bash-completion
Info:   Programmable completion library for Bash
Maint:  adamw@FreeBSD.org
WWW:    http://bash-completion.alioth.debian.org/

Port:   bash-static-4.1.10
Path:   /usr/ports/shells/bash-static
Info:   The GNU Project's Bourne Again SHell
Maint:  obrien@FreeBSD.org
WWW:    http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/bash/bashtop.html
...

Using "make search key=bash" will search all packages that contain "bash" in their name, dependendant ports package (which is a lot).

In case you only want to see ports that have "bash" in their name, use "make search name=bash"

Code:

# make -C /usr/ports/ search name=bash
Port:   ru-fortune-bashorgru-20080903
Path:   /usr/ports/russian/fortune-bashorgru
Info:   Fortunes from bash.org.ru and freebsd.rusnet.org.ru/bash
Maint:   ports@FreeBSD.org
B-deps:   
R-deps:   
WWW:   http://bash.org.ru

Port:   bash-4.1.10
Path:   /usr/ports/shells/bash
Info:   The GNU Project's Bourne Again SHell
Maint:   obrien@FreeBSD.org
B-deps:   bison-2.4.3,1 gettext-0.18.1.1 libiconv-1.13.1_1 m4-1.4.16,1
R-deps:   gettext-0.18.1.1 libiconv-1.13.1_1
WWW:   http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/bash/bashtop.html

Port:   bash-completion-1.3,1
Path:   /usr/ports/shells/bash-completion
Info:   Programmable completion library for Bash
Maint:   adamw@FreeBSD.org
B-deps:   
R-deps:   bash-4.1.10 gettext-0.18.1.1 libiconv-1.13.1_1
WWW:   http://bash-completion.alioth.debian.org/
...