bat
Cat clone with syntax highlighting and Git integration
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
bat [options] [file...]
DESCRIPTION
bat is a cat clone with syntax highlighting and Git integration. It displays file contents with automatic language detection, line numbers, and Git diff indicators in the margin.
The tool provides a more user-friendly file viewing experience for developers and system administrators.
PARAMETERS
-n, --number
Show line numbers-A, --show-all
Show non-printable characters-p, --plain
Plain mode (no decorations)-l, --language lang
Specify language for syntax highlighting-H, --highlight-line n
Highlight specific lines--paging when
When to use pager (auto, always, never)--style components
Configure output style--theme name
Color theme--list-languages
List supported languages--list-themes
List available themes
CONFIGURATION
~/.config/bat/config
Default command-line options applied automatically. One option per line (e.g. --theme, --style).
FEATURES
- Syntax highlighting for 200+ languages
- Git integration (shows modifications)
- Line numbers
- Non-printable character display
- Automatic paging
- File concatenation
- Themes support
- Integrates with less pager
CAVEATS
Not a drop-in cat replacement for scripts (use cat for pipelines). Slower than cat on large files. Themes require true color terminal. On Debian/Ubuntu, the binary is installed as batcat due to a naming conflict with another package.
HISTORY
bat was created by David Peter (sharkdp) in 2018 as a modern replacement for cat with syntax highlighting and Git awareness.
