Introduction
# bat - Better cat
`cat` with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and Git integration.
## Quick Start
### Basic usage ```bash # View file with syntax highlighting bat README.md
# Multiple files bat file1.js file2.py
# With line numbers (default) bat script.sh
# Without line numbers bat -p script.sh ```
### Viewing modes ```bash # Plain mode (like cat) bat -p file.txt
# Show non-printable characters bat -A file.txt
# Squeeze blank lines bat -s file.txt
# Paging (auto for large files) bat --paging=always file.txt bat --paging=never file.txt ```
## Syntax Highlighting
### Language detection ```bash # Auto-detect from extension bat script.py
# Force specific language bat -l javascript config.txt
# Show all languages bat --list-languages ```
### Themes ```bash # List available themes bat --list-themes
# Use specific theme bat --theme="Monokai Extended" file.py
# Set default theme in config # ~/.config/bat/config: --theme="Dracula" ```
## Line Ranges
```bash # Show specific lines bat -r 10:20 file.txt
# From line to end bat -r 100: file.txt
# Start to specific line bat -r :50 file.txt
# Multiple ranges bat -r 1:10 -r 50:60 file.txt ```
## Git Integration
```bash # Show Git modifications (added/removed/modified lines) bat --diff file.txt
# Show decorations (Git + file header) bat --decorations=always file.txt ```
## Output Control
```bash # Output raw (no styling) bat --style=plain file.txt
# Customize style bat --style=numbers,changes file.txt
# Available styles: auto, full, plain, changes, header, grid, numbers, snip bat --style=header,grid,numbers file.txt ```
## Common Use Cases
**Quick file preview:** ```bash bat file.json ```
**View logs with syntax highlighting:** ```bash bat error.log ```
**Compare files visually:** ```bash bat --diff file1.txt bat file2.txt ```
**Preview before editing:** ```bash bat config.yaml && vim config.yaml ```
**Cat replacement in pipes:** ```bash bat -p file.txt | grep "pattern" ```
**View specific function:** ```bash bat -r 45:67 script.py # If function is on lines 45-67 ```
## Integration with other tools
**As pager for man pages:** ```bash export MANPAGER="sh -c 'col -bx | bat -l man -p'" man grep ```
**With ripgrep:** ```bash rg "pattern" -l | xargs bat ```
**With fzf:** ```bash fzf --preview 'bat --color=always --style=numbers {}' ```
**With diff:** ```bash diff -u file1 file2 | bat -l diff ```
## Configuration
Create `~/.config/bat/config` for defaults:
``` # Set theme --theme="Dracula"
# Show line numbers, Git modifications and file header, but no grid --style="numbers,changes,header"
# Use italic text on terminal --italic-text=always
# Add custom mapping --map-syntax "*.conf:INI" ```
## Performance Tips
- Use `-p` for plain mode when piping - Use `--paging=never` when output is used programmatically - `bat` caches parsed files for faster subsequent access
## Tips
- **Alias:** `alias cat='bat -p'` for drop-in cat replacement - **Pager:** Use as pager with `export PAGER="bat"` - **On Debian/Ubuntu:** Command may be `batcat` instead of `bat` - **Custom syntaxes:** Add to `~/.config/bat/syntaxes/` - **Performance:** For huge files, use `bat --paging=never` or plain `cat`
## Common flags
- `-p` / `--plain`: Plain mode (no line numbers/decorations) - `-n` / `--number`: Only show line numbers - `-A` / `--show-all`: Show non-printable characters - `-l` / `--language`: Set language for syntax highlighting - `-r` / `--line-range`: Only show specific line range(s)
## Documentation
GitHub: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat Man page: `man bat` Customization: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat#customization