awk is used to filter and manipulate output from other programs by applying rules with patterns and actions. awk can print specific fields from text, modify separators between fields, and perform various actions using built-in functions.
The awk command or GNU awk in specific provides a scripting language for text processing. With awk scripting language, you can make the following: Define variables. Use string and arithmetic operators. Use control flow and loops. Generate formatted reports. Actually, you can process log files that contain maybe millions of lines to output a readable report that you can benefit from.