The cat command in Linux is a frequently used command that allows users to view, concatenate, create, copy, merge, and manipulate file contents. It derives its name from the word "concatenate" and is primarily used to display the content of existing files. The command can also be used to create new files, append content to existing files, and redirect output in the terminal or files.
The basic syntax of the cat command is cat . Here are some examples of how to use the cat` command:
- To view the contents of a single file:
cat file_name - To view the contents of multiple files:
cat file_name1 file_name2 - To create a new file and add text to it:
cat > file_name - To append text to an existing file:
cat >> file_name - To concatenate multiple files and store the result in a new file:
cat file1 file2 > merged_filename - To display the content of all text files in a folder:
cat *.txt
The cat command can also be used in combination with other commands to perform various tasks, such as providing page navigation and converting file format to binary or hexadecimal. Overall, the cat command is an essential utility for managing files in Linux.
