13 Basic Cat Command Examples in Linux

The cat (short for “concatenate“) command is one of the most frequently used command in Linux/Unix like operating systems. cat command allows us to create single or multiple files, view contain of file, concatenate files and redirect output in terminal or files. In this article, we are going to find out handy use of cat commands with their examples in Linux.

Read Also: Learn How to use ‘cat’ and ‘tac’ (Reverse of cat Command) in Linux

13 Basic Linux Cat Commands

General Syntax

cat [OPTION] [FILE]...

1. Display Contents of File

In the below example, it will show contents of /etc/passwd file.

# cat /etc/passwd
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:/sbin/nologin
narad:x:500:500::/home/narad:/bin/bash

2. View Contents of Multiple Files in terminal

In below example, it will display contents of test and test1 file in terminal.

# cat test test1
Hello everybody
Hi world,

3. Create a File with Cat Command

We will create a file called test2 file with below command.

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