hexyl

Print the hexadecimal representation of a file

$ hexyl [path/to/file]

$ hexyl [[-n|--length]] [n] [path/to/file]

hexyl [OPTIONS] [<FILE>]

--color <COLOR>
    Control colors: always, never, auto [default: auto]

-c, --columns <COLUMNS>
    Display this many columns [default: 48]

--color-scheme <COLOR_SCHEME>
    Syntax highlighting scheme [default: default]
Values: default, monokai, gruvbox_dark, gruvbox_light

-h, --help
    Print help information

-o, --offset <OFFSET>
    Start from OFFSET bytes [default: 0]

-V, --version
    Print version information

Hexyl is a modern, high-performance command-line tool for viewing binary files in hexadecimal and ASCII formats with vibrant syntax highlighting. Written in Rust by Daniel Bornkessel (sharkdp), it color-codes data types: green for printable ASCII, red for non-printable characters, yellow for zeros, blue for executable code, and more.

Key features include vim-inspired keybindings (arrow keys, PgUp/PgDn, 'q' to quit), customizable column counts, offset starts, and multiple color schemes like monokai, gruvbox_dark, and gruvbox_light. It handles large files efficiently via paging, supports stdin input, and auto-detects terminal color capabilities. Ideal for reverse engineering, debugging, or inspecting binaries, hexyl offers a visually appealing alternative to tools like hexdump or xxd.

Requires terminal with 256-color support for best visuals; keyboard navigation (arrows, PgUp/Dn, 'q' to quit) only in TTY; loads files into memory for small sizes but pages large ones.

Use arrow keys to scroll, PgUp/PgDn for pages, 'g' top/'G' bottom, 'q' to quit.
Mouse wheel support in some terminals.

hexyl image.png — View PNG hex dump.

hexyl --color-scheme gruvbox_dark --columns 32 --offset 0x1000 firmware.bin — Custom view.

cat data | hexyl --color always — Stdin input.

Developed by Daniel Bornkessel (sharkdp) starting 2017 in Rust for speed and aesthetics. First release 0.1.0 in 2018; reached v0.14+ by 2024 with improved schemes and options. Popular in Rust CLI ecosystem, packaged in major distros like Arch, Fedora.

hexdump(1), xxd(1), od(1)