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cat Cheatsheet

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cat Cheatsheet

Basic Syntax

Core cat command forms.

Command Description
cat FILE Print a file to standard output
cat FILE1 FILE2 Print multiple files in sequence
cat Read from standard input until EOF
cat -n FILE Show all lines with line numbers
cat -b FILE Number only non-empty lines

View File Content

Common read-only usage patterns.

Command Description
cat /etc/os-release Print distro information file
cat file.txt Show full file content
cat file1.txt file2.txt Show both files in one stream
cat -A file.txt Show tabs/end-of-line/non-printing chars
cat -s file.txt Squeeze repeated blank lines

Line Numbering and Visibility

Inspect structure and hidden characters.

Command Description
cat -n file.txt Number all lines
cat -b file.txt Number only non-blank lines
cat -E file.txt Show $ at end of each line
cat -T file.txt Show tab characters as ^I
cat -v file.txt Show non-printing characters

Combine Files

Create merged outputs from multiple files.

Command Description
cat part1 part2 > merged.txt Merge files into a new file
cat header.txt body.txt footer.txt > report.txt Build one file from sections
cat a.txt b.txt c.txt > combined.txt Join several text files
cat file.txt >> archive.txt Append one file to another
cat *.log > all-logs.txt Merge matching files (shell glob)

Create and Append Text

Use cat with redirection and here-docs.

Command Description
cat > notes.txt Create/overwrite a file from terminal input
cat >> notes.txt Append terminal input to a file
cat <<'EOF' > config.conf Write multiline text safely with a here-doc
cat <<'EOF' >> config.conf Append multiline text using a here-doc
cat > script.sh <<'EOF' Create a script file from inline content

Pipelines and Common Combos

Practical command combinations with other tools.

Command Description
`cat access.log grep 500`
`cat file.txt wc -l`
`cat file.txt head -n 20`
`cat file.txt tail -n 20`
`cat file.txt tee copy.txt >/dev/null`

Troubleshooting

Quick checks for common cat usage issues.

Issue Check
Permission denied Check ownership and file mode with ls -l; run with correct user or sudo if required
Output is too long Pipe to less (`cat file
Unexpected binary output Verify file type with file filename before printing
File was overwritten accidentally Use >> to append, not >; enable shell noclobber if needed
Hidden characters break scripts Inspect with cat -A or cat -vET

Related Guides

Use these guides for full file-view and text-processing workflows.

Guide Description
How to Use the cat Command in Linux Full cat command guide
head Command in Linux Show the first lines of files
tail Command in Linux Follow and inspect recent lines
tee Command in Linux Write output to file and terminal
wc Command in Linux Count lines, words, and bytes
Create a File in Linux File creation methods
Bash Append to File Safe append patterns