# sharkdp/bat

A cat(1) clone with wings.

Repository: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/bat
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: command-line, tool, syntax-highlighting, git, terminal, cli, rust, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-11T14:39:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 76/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 97, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3056, "days_push": 22, "days_rel": 274, "gap_med": 164.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 60272, forks 1633 (observed 2026-08-28T04:12:18.802232+00:00)

## What it is
bat is a cat(1) clone written in Rust that adds syntax highlighting for many languages and Git integration to terminal file viewing. It supports automatic paging, showing non-printable characters, and works as a drop-in cat replacement when piping.

## Use cases
- view files in the terminal with syntax highlighting
- replace cat with a prettier alternative
- see git diff markers when viewing files
- highlight output piped from stdin
- show non-printable characters in files
- concatenate files like cat

## When to choose
- you want readable, highlighted file output in the terminal
- you need a fast, modern cat replacement with git awareness
- you frequently view code or config files from the command line

## When to avoid
- you need byte-exact cat behavior in scripts without any formatting
- you work in environments where installing extra tools is not possible
- you need a full pager or file editor rather than a viewer

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: cli, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: windows, cli, cross-platform
- tags: cat-clone, syntax-highlighting, git-integration, terminal, pager, rust, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- sharkdp/bat (main) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:18.802232+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:17:47.529121+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat (fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:18.802232+00:00, sha 1a2cac1c993f)
  - registry_crates: https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/bat (fetched 2026-08-28T17:59:45.562301+00:00, sha fddb31d95f9e)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.