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barseghyanartur/bat_is_cat_with_syntax_highlighting.rst

Last active April 29, 2026 21:18
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blog: bat is cat with extras
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bat_is_cat_with_syntax_highlighting.rst

bat is cat with extras

Date: 2026-04-21 17:00
category:Tech
tags:shell, cat, bat
summary:Use bat for a more readable terminal experience with syntax highlighting and Git integration.

bat is a cat clone with extras. It improves terminal output by adding line numbers, syntax highlighting for various languages, and Git-aware gutter markers to show changes.

Usage example:

bat path/to/file.json
bat path/to/file.rst
bat path/to/file.md
bat path/to/file.py

A useful tweak - set page really high (put somewhere in your .bashrc or .zshrc):

export BAT_PAGER='less -R -z 5000'
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