bat
About bat
bat is a command-line utility designed as an enhanced replacement for the traditional cat command. It provides syntax highlighting for a wide range of programming and markup languages, making code and configuration files easier to read directly in the terminal.
The tool integrates with Git to display file modifications and supports displaying non-printable characters. It automatically pipes output to a pager for large files but can function like cat when needed, such as during file concatenation or redirection.
Summary based on the project's official README and description.
Key features
- Syntax highlighting for numerous programming and markup languages
- Git integration to show file modifications
- Display and highlight non-printable characters
- Automatic paging for large outputs
- Acts as a drop-in replacement for cat in non-interactive terminals
- Supports line numbers and plain output modes
- Integration with tools like fzf, find, fd, ripgrep, and git
Download v0.26.1
Dec 2, 2025WindowsWindows
macOSmacOS
LinuxLinux
Frequently asked questions
- Is bat free?
- Yes. bat is free and open-source software, distributed under the Apache-2.0 license.
- Which platforms does bat support?
- bat provides downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux.
- What is the latest version of bat?
- The latest version is v0.26.1, released on Dec 2, 2025.
- How do I install bat on Ubuntu?
- On Ubuntu 20.04 or later and Debian 11 or later, bat can be installed using the command 'sudo apt install bat'. Note that on some older versions, the executable may be named 'batcat' instead of 'bat'.
- Can bat be used as a direct replacement for cat?
- Yes, bat can function like cat when needed, especially in non-interactive terminals or when using the '--paging=never' option. It can also concatenate files similarly to cat.
- What license does bat use?
- bat is licensed under an open-source license, as indicated by the crate license badge, though the specific license type is not detailed in the provided README.
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