{"id":15648,"date":"2019-02-25T14:48:38","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T14:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/?p=15648"},"modified":"2025-02-24T14:01:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:01:35","slug":"linux-cat-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/uk\/tutorials\/linux-cat-command","title":{"rendered":"How to use the Linux cat command"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cat<\/strong> command is one of the most useful commands in Linux – it is used for displaying, combining, and manipulating text files.<\/p>

Its versatility is what makes it an indispensable tool for everyday Linux administration and scripting. For instance, it can be used to quickly view the contents of configuration files inside the \/etc<\/strong> directory or, concatenate multiple files into one.<\/p>

What’s more, the cat<\/strong> command comes pre-installed with the coreutils<\/strong> package in any Debian and Red Hat-based system, so you don’t need to install it separately.<\/p>

In this tutorial, we will go through the essential and common uses of the Linux cat<\/strong> command and explain its features with examples.<\/p>

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Syntax of the cat command<\/h2>

Before we start to deep-dive into the article’s subject, you should log into the VPS using SSH<\/a>, to run the below cat<\/strong> commands and check its basic syntax.<\/p>

The basic syntax of the cat<\/strong> command is:<\/p>

cat [OPTION] [FILENAME]<\/pre>
The command takes the name of one or more files you want to look at or change as an argument, along with the additional settings that change how the command works.<\/p>
Here’s a breakdown of each part of the command:<\/p>