bibtex

bibtex [OPTION]... [AUXFILE[.aux]]

--help
    Display help message and exit

--version
    Output version information and exit

-min-crossrefs=N
    Set minimum cross-references per entry to N (default 2)

-terse
    Print only errors, warnings, and fatal messages

-verbose
    Print progress reports and statistics

BibTeX is a tool for processing bibliography files in LaTeX documents. It reads entries from a .bib database file, specified via \bibliography{} in the LaTeX source, and uses instructions from the .aux file (generated by an initial LaTeX run) to select cited references. BibTeX then applies a bibliography style from a .bst file to format these entries, producing a .bbl file with the formatted bibliography and a .blg log file.

This enables automated, consistent reference formatting. The standard workflow is: run LaTeX (creates .aux), run BibTeX (creates .bbl), run LaTeX twice more (resolves citations and cross-references). BibTeX handles cross-referencing between entries and supports custom styles, though it lacks native Unicode support.

BibTeX has limited Unicode support; use biber for modern documents. Requires a matching .bst style file. Multiple runs may be needed for cross-references.

1. latex document.tex (generates .aux)
2. bibtex document (generates .bbl)
3. latex document.tex
4. latex document.tex (finalizes references)

.bbl: Formatted bibliography for LaTeX.
.blg: Processing log with warnings/errors.
.brf: Additional report (if verbose).

Created by Oren Patashnik in 1985, building on earlier Bib tools by Lesk and Soffrin (1975). Widely used with LaTeX since its TeX integration.

latex(1), pdflatex(1), biber(1), bibtex8(1)