bat

A better cat (file viewer).

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Console’s review

· Reviewed by David Mytton

What we like

Replaces cat. Supports syntax highlighting and has a Git integration showing modifications in the gutter. Includes line numbers (by default, can be disabled) and a pager. Detects non-interactive usage and turns off all the fancy features for full cat compatibility. Single, open source Rust binary with packages for most platforms.

Tradeoffs

Line numbers get in the way of copy/paste, so you need to remember to launch it with the -p plain flag as needed.

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