ccat

Name: ccat
Author: The ccat contributors

A terminal utility that displays file contents with syntax highlighting.

By The ccat contributors

Free Open sourceCommand line

Official websitegithub.com

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Alternatives

batbat displays file contents with syntax highlighting like ccat, and adds line numbers, Git markers and a pager for longer files.
gatgat also displays source files with syntax highlighting, adding Markdown rendering, image output and secret masking across Windows, macOS and Linux.
lessA classic terminal file pager for reading text files and command output one screen at a time.
GlowReads Markdown files in a terminal with proper formatting, and finds them for you in the current directory or git repository.

See all alternatives

About ccat

ccat works like the cat command and adds syntax highlighting for JavaScript, Java, Ruby, Python, Go, C, and JSON. It is distributed as a standalone executable and can also be installed through package managers.

Strengths

Highlights syntax in seven listed languages
Works as a terminal replacement for cat
Distributed as a standalone executable

Limitations

Syntax highlighting supports JavaScript, Java, Ruby, Python, Go, C, and JSON
Shell completion is provided for Zsh only

Details

Pricing: FreeFree and open source under the MIT license.
License: MIT
Developer: The ccat contributors
Platforms: Command line
How it runs: Downloadable app
Best suited for: Reading source files with color in a terminal
Categories: CLI tools
Last verified: October 8, 2026
Added: October 8, 2026
Provenance: Selected from the Homebrew formula
Sources: github.com/owenthereal/ccat

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