# sharkdp/bat

> A cat(1) clone with wings.

- GitHub: https://github.com/sharkdp/bat
- Category: CLI & Terminal (https://ideas.asveas.com/c/cli)
- Tags: cli, git, rust, syntax-highlighting, terminal, tool
- Language: Rust · License: Apache-2.0
- Stars: 61,215 · Forks: 2,310 · Open issues: 566
- Last push: 2026-11-10 (yesterday)
- Vibe score: 89/100

## What it is
bat supports syntax highlighting for a large number of programming and markup languages: bat communicates with git to show modifications with respect to the index (see left sidebar): You can use the -A/--show-all option to show and highlight non-printable characters:

## When to use it
Reach for bat when you live in the terminal and want faster search, git, navigation or a beautiful TUI — it's written in Rust and fits stacks tagged cli, git, syntax-highlighting, terminal.

## Maintenance
sharkdp/bat looks very actively maintained: the last push was yesterday (2026-11-10), with 61,215 stars and 566 open issues.

## Quick start
```bash
git clone https://github.com/sharkdp/bat.git
```

## Alternatives in CLI & Terminal
- [neovim/neovim](https://github.com/neovim/neovim) — Vim-fork focused on extensibility and usability (★104k, Vim Script, vibe 96/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/neovim/neovim
- [junegunn/fzf](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) — :cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder (★84.2k, Go, vibe 95/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/junegunn/fzf
- [starship/starship](https://github.com/starship/starship) — ☄🌌️  The minimal, blazing-fast, and infinitely customizable prompt for any shell! (★60.7k, Rust, vibe 93/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/starship/starship
- [ajeetdsouza/zoxide](https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide) — A smarter cd command. Supports all major shells. (★40.6k, Rust, vibe 92/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/ajeetdsouza/zoxide
- [jesseduffield/lazygit](https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit) — simple terminal UI for git commands (★83.8k, Go, vibe 91/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/jesseduffield/lazygit
- [BurntSushi/ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep) — ripgrep recursively searches directories for a regex pattern while respecting your gitignore (★69.9k, Rust, vibe 90/100) · details: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/BurntSushi/ripgrep

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Source: https://ideas.asveas.com/r/sharkdp/bat · Catalog: https://ideas.asveas.com/llms.txt