The cat command is used on Linux systems at the terminal. This information was obtained from a Kali Linux distribution using man cat.
NAME
cat – concatenate files and print on the standard output
SYNOPSIS
cat [OPTION]... [FILE]...
DESCRIPTION
Concatenate FILE(s) to standard output.
With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.
OPTIONS
| Options | Purpose |
|---|---|
| -A, --show-all | equivalent to -vET |
| -b, --number-nonblank | number nonempty output lines, overrides -n |
| -e | equivalent to -vE |
| -E, --show-ends | display $ at end of each line |
| -n, --number | number all output lines |
| -s, --squeeze-blank | suppress repeated empty output lines |
| -t | equivalent to -vT |
| -T, --show-tabs | display TAB characters as ^I |
| -u | (ignored) |
| -v, --show-nonprinting | use ^ and M- notation, except for LFD and TAB |
| --help | display this help and exit |
| --version | output version information and exit |
EXAMPLES
| cat f - g | Output f's contents, then standard input, then g's contents. |
| cat | Copy standard input to standard output. |
AUTHOR
Written by Torbjorn Granlund and Richard M. Stallman.