bat - Better cat

cat with syntax highlighting, line numbers, and Git integration.

When to use

• Reading or displaying a file in the terminal — prefer it over plain

cat: syntax highlighting, line numbers, git-side indicators.

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