`bat` — A Better `cat` With Syntax Highlighting

Overview

bat is a cat-style file viewer with a nicer default UX:

Syntax highlighting (auto-detect by filename / content)
Line numbers, headers, and optional grid styling
Pager integration (so large files don’t flood your terminal)
Git integration (show changes inline in tracked files)

It’s ideal for reading WordPress configs, Nginx/Apache configs, shell scripts, and logs on a VPS—without losing your place.

Tool Snapshot

Core Function: Pretty-print files (or stdin) to stdout with optional paging.
Primary Benefit: Faster comprehension of code/configs than plain cat.
Where to Use: Reviewing scripts, debugging configs, inspecting logs, teaching snippets.
Workflow: bat [OPTIONS] [FILE...] (or read from stdin).

Prerequisites

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.) or macOS
Terminal access
Some text/code files to view

System Check

On Debian/Ubuntu, the binary is often named batcat.

which bat || which batcat

Expected output:

/usr/bin/bat
# or on Debian/Ubuntu:
# /usr/bin/batcat

If your system uses batcat, you may want an alias for convenience:

alias bat=batcat

Install (common distros)

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install bat

# Fedora
sudo dnf install bat

# Arch
sudo pacman -S bat

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install bat

bat in scripts

By default, bat may page output and use color. In scripts and pipelines, prefer:

-p (plain, no decorations)
--paging=never
--color=never (if the next tool can’t handle ANSI colors)

Core Syntax

bat [OPTIONS] [FILE...]

FILE...: one or more files. If omitted, bat reads from stdin.
OPTIONS: control style (numbers/header/changes), theme, paging, color, ranges, and language.

Defaults you should know

Syntax highlighting: auto-detected based on filename/content
Paging: uses a pager when appropriate (prevents terminal flooding)
Header: shows filename and a ruler by default

Options & Flags

Option	What it does	When you’d use it	Example
:	:	:-	:--
`-n`, `--number`	Show line numbers	Debugging / code review	`bat -n app.php`
`--style=...`	Control UI (header/grid/numbers/changes)	Reduce clutter or add context	`bat --style=plain file`
`--theme=...`	Pick a theme	Improve readability	`bat --theme=TwoDark file.py`
`-A`, `--show-all`	Show non-printing chars	Whitespace/CRLF debugging	`bat -A Makefile`
`-p`, `--plain`	Plain output (no header/pager)	Script-friendly output	`bat -p config.yml`
`--paging=never/auto/always`	Control paging behavior	Disable paging in pipelines	`bat --paging=never file`
`-l`, `--language=...`	Force language syntax	Unknown extensions / stdin	`bat -l php file`
`-r`, `--line-range=...`	Show specific line range(s)	Quick previews/snippets	`bat -r 10:40 file`
`--highlight-line=...`	Highlight lines	Teaching/review emphasis	`bat --highlight-line 42 file`
`--color=always/auto/never`	Control ANSI colors	Piping into other tools	`bat --color=never file`
`--diff`	Show Git diff style for file	Review modified lines	`bat --diff file`
`--map-syntax ...`	Map extension to language	Custom templates/types	`bat --map-syntax .tpl:php`

Quick “clean output” presets

Interactive, readable: bat -n --style=numbers,changes,header file
Minimal and script-safe: bat -p --paging=never --color=never file

Common Patterns

Interactive Viewing
Script-Safe Output
Snippets & Ranges
Git-Aware Review
WordPress VPS Use

bat /var/www/html/wp-config.php

bat -n /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

bat --theme=TwoDark --style=numbers,header /etc/hosts

bat -p --paging=never --color=never /etc/hosts

command_that_outputs_text | bat -p --paging=never --color=never

cat data.json | bat -l json -p --paging=never

bat -r 1:80 /var/www/html/wp-config.php

bat -r :50 --highlight-line 20,25 app.php

bat -r 120:160 --style=numbers,header /var/log/nginx/error.log

bat --diff src/main.py

diff -u old.conf new.conf | bat -l diff

bat -n /var/www/html/wp-config.php

bat -r :120 /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

tail -n 200 /var/log/nginx/error.log | bat --paging=never

Best Practices

Use bat interactively for readability; switch to -p and --paging=never in automation.
If output is “too busy,” simplify style:
```
bat --style=plain file
```
When debugging whitespace/indentation (Makefile/YAML), use:
```
bat -A file
```
For files without extensions or stdin, force language:
```
bat -l bash script
```
If you want bat as a cat replacement, do it only for interactive shells:
- Good idea: alias cat=bat in your shell profile
- Bad idea: relying on that alias inside scripts

bat vs cat vs nano — what to use and when?

cat: Fast, minimal, ubiquitous. Great for quick dumps, combining files, and pipelines. No highlighting.
bat: Like cat, but optimized for humans—highlighting, numbers, paging, Git changes.
nano: Editor. Use it when you need to modify content, not just view it.

Rule of thumb

Viewing code/configs/logs: bat
Simple piping/compatibility: cat
Editing: nano

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
:--	:-	:-
No colors	Output is piped / non-TTY	Use `--color=always` (interactive) or avoid piping
Pager appears when you don’t want it	Default paging behavior	Add `--paging=never` or use `-p`
No syntax highlighting	Unknown extension	Use `-l <lang>` or `--map-syntax`
Output feels too “busy”	Header/grid/numbers/changes enabled	Use `--style=plain` or `--style=numbers`
`bat` not found on Debian/Ubuntu	Binary is `batcat`	Use `batcat` or `alias bat=batcat`

Color in pipelines

If you pipe bat output into tools that don’t expect ANSI codes (or into files), use --color=never to avoid escape sequences in saved output.

Cheat Sheet

# Basics
bat file.txt                                  # Highlighted file with header and pager
bat -n file.php                               # Show line numbers
bat -A Makefile                               # Show all characters (tabs, EOLs)

# Styles, themes, and paging
bat --style=numbers,changes file.js           # Custom style
bat --theme=TwoDark file.py                   # Use specific theme
bat --paging=never file.log                   # Disable paging
bat -p config.yml                             # Plain mode (no header, no pager)

# Ranges and highlighting
bat -r 10:40 app.php                          # Only lines 10–40
bat --highlight-line 42 app.php               # Highlight line 42
bat -r :50 --highlight-line 20,25 app.php     # First 50 lines, highlight some

# Language and stdin
bat -l json settings                          # Force JSON highlighting
cat data.json | bat -l json                   # Pretty-print JSON from stdin

# Git changes
bat --diff src/main.py                        # Show changed lines with diff style

Mini Quiz

Which option controls the presence of headers, numbers, and other UI elements?
How do you disable the pager for scripts/pipelines?
How do you show non-printing characters like tabs and end-of-line markers?
What do you use when bat guesses the wrong language?
How do you show only lines 100–150 of a file?

Show answers

--style=...
--paging=never (and/or -p)
-A / --show-all
-l <language> (or --map-syntax ...)
-r 100:150 file

Worked Examples

About expected output

Output below is shown without colors. In a real terminal, syntax highlighting and UI decorations will be colored depending on theme and terminal capabilities.

Example files used in demos

Assume we have app.php:

<?php
echo "Hello, world!\n";
$version = "1.0.0";
if ($version === "1.0.0") {
    echo "Stable\n";
}

And a script file named script (no extension):

#!/bin/bash
echo "Backup started"

1) Basic view of a file

bat app.php

Expected output (simplified):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ <?php
   2   │ echo "Hello, world!\n";
   3   │ $version = "1.0.0";
   4   │ if ($version === "1.0.0") {
   5   │     echo "Stable\n";
   6   │ }
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

2) Show line numbers explicitly

bat -n app.php

Expected output:

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ <?php
   2   │ echo "Hello, world!\n";
   3   │ $version = "1.0.0";
   4   │ if ($version === "1.0.0") {
   5   │     echo "Stable\n";
   6   │ }
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

bat -p app.php

Expected output:

<?php
echo "Hello, world!\n";
$version = "1.0.0";
if ($version === "1.0.0") {
    echo "Stable\n";
}

4) Show all characters (tabs/EOL markers)

bat -A app.php

Expected output (illustrative):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ <?php␊
   2   │ echo·"Hello,·world!\n";␊
   3   │ $version·=·"1.0.0";␊
   4   │ if·($version·===·"1.0.0")·{␊
   5   │ ······echo·"Stable\n";␊
   6   │ }␊
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

5) Show only a line range (lines 2–4)

bat -r 2:4 app.php

Expected output:

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   2   │ echo "Hello, world!\n";
   3   │ $version = "1.0.0";
   4   │ if ($version === "1.0.0") {
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

6) Highlight a specific line

bat --highlight-line 3 app.php

Expected output (line highlighted; shown here with >>):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ <?php
   2   │ echo "Hello, world!\n";
>> 3   │ $version = "1.0.0";
   4   │ if ($version === "1.0.0") {
   5   │     echo "Stable\n";
   6   │ }
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

7) Use a specific theme

bat --theme=TwoDark app.php

Expected output: (same structure; colors differ based on theme)

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: app.php (theme: TwoDark)
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ <?php
   2   │ echo "Hello, world!\n";
   3   │ $version = "1.0.0";
   4   │ if ($version === "1.0.0") {
   5   │     echo "Stable\n";
   6   │ }
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

8) Force language for a file without extension

bat -l bash script

Expected output:

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: script (language: Bash)
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ #!/bin/bash
   2   │ echo "Backup started"
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

bat --paging=never -p /etc/hosts

Expected output (simplified):

127.0.0.1   localhost
127.0.1.1   my-vps
# IPv6 entries...
::1         localhost ip6-localhost ip6-loopback

10) Pretty-print JSON from stdin

cat data.json | bat -l json

Expected output (simplified):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ STDIN (language: JSON)
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ {
   2   │   "name": "site",
   3   │   "enabled": true
   4   │ }
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

11) Show only the top of a large log file (first 50 lines)

bat -r :50 /var/log/nginx/access.log

Expected output: (first 50 lines shown; truncated here)

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: /var/log/nginx/access.log
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ 192.168.0.10 - - [12/Nov/2025:10:00:01 +0000] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 512 "-" "curl/7.81.0"
   2   │ 192.168.0.11 - - [12/Nov/2025:10:00:02 +0000] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 162 "-" "curl/7.81.0"
   3   │ ...
  50   │ ... (line 50)
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

12) Show Git changes inline

bat --diff src/main.py

Expected output (illustrative markers):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ File: src/main.py
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ import sys
-  2   │ old_line = "this used to be here"
+  2   │ new_line = "this line changed"
   3   │ print(new_line)
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

13) Customize style to show only numbers and code

bat --style=numbers app.php

Expected output:

 <?php
 echo "Hello, world!\n";
 $version = "1.0.0";
 if ($version === "1.0.0") {
     echo "Stable\n";
 }

14) Use `bat` in a pipeline (disable paging)

ps aux | bat --paging=never

Expected output (first lines):

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ STDIN
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │ USER       PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME COMMAND
   2   │ root         1  0.0  0.1 169340  9300 ?        Ss   10:00   0:02 /sbin/init
   3   │ www-data  1234  0.1  1.2 523456 48200 ?        S    10:01   0:10 php-fpm: pool www
   4   │ ...
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

15) View a unified diff with syntax highlighting

diff -u old.conf new.conf | bat -l diff

Expected output:

───────┬────────────────────────────────────────────
       │ STDIN (language: diff)
───────┼────────────────────────────────────────────
   1   │  old.conf
   2   │ +++ new.conf
   3   │ @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
   4   │ -max_clients = 50
   5   │ +max_clients = 100
   6   │  timeout = 30
───────┴────────────────────────────────────────────

Overview​

Prerequisites​

System Check​

Install (common distros)​

Core Syntax​

Defaults you should know​

Options & Flags​

Common Patterns​

Best Practices​

Troubleshooting​

Cheat Sheet​

Mini Quiz​

Worked Examples​

Example files used in demos​

1) Basic view of a file​

2) Show line numbers explicitly​

3) Plain mode (no header, no pager, no decorations)​

4) Show all characters (tabs/EOL markers)​

5) Show only a line range (lines 2–4)​

6) Highlight a specific line​

7) Use a specific theme​

8) Force language for a file without extension​

9) View configuration without pager (pipeline/script safe)​

10) Pretty-print JSON from stdin​

11) Show only the top of a large log file (first 50 lines)​

12) Show Git changes inline​

13) Customize style to show only numbers and code​

14) Use bat in a pipeline (disable paging)​

15) View a unified diff with syntax highlighting​

Overview

Prerequisites

System Check

Install (common distros)

Core Syntax

Defaults you should know

Options & Flags

Common Patterns

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Cheat Sheet

Mini Quiz

Worked Examples

Example files used in demos

1) Basic view of a file

2) Show line numbers explicitly

3) Plain mode (no header, no pager, no decorations)

4) Show all characters (tabs/EOL markers)

5) Show only a line range (lines 2–4)

6) Highlight a specific line

7) Use a specific theme

8) Force language for a file without extension

9) View configuration without pager (pipeline/script safe)

10) Pretty-print JSON from stdin

11) Show only the top of a large log file (first 50 lines)

12) Show Git changes inline

13) Customize style to show only numbers and code

14) Use `bat` in a pipeline (disable paging)

15) View a unified diff with syntax highlighting