bat
A cat replacement that adds syntax highlighting, line numbers, and Git-aware decorations.
Overview
bat prints files with syntax highlighting and line numbers, and integrates with Git to mark added or changed lines. It is meant as a readable replacement for cat in interactive terminal work.
Where it fits
- Reading source files in the terminal
- Reviewing diffs with highlighted context
- Paging long output through less
Key capabilities
- Syntax highlighting for many languages
- Git change markers
- Automatic paging
- Plain-output mode for scripts
Repository metadata
- Stars (snapshot)
- 61,084
- Main language
- Rust
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Topics
- cli, command-line, git, hacktoberfest, rust, syntax-highlighting, terminal, tool
- Category
- Developer tools
- Last push
- 2026-11-04T20:35:08Z
Repository description from GitHub metadata: A cat(1) clone with wings.
Official links
- Official repository
- Read the README The README is linked, not copied or cached by this site.
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