Linux: Show File Content

Show file content

cat fname

print file content to screen.

cat fname | more

show file content by one screenful page at a time.
This is called “paging”.
Type q to exit. Type h for other keys.

Show first few lines or last few lines of a file

head fname

View the first few lines of a file. (most useful for big files, e.g. Log file.)

tail fname

View the last few lines of a file.

tail -f fname

View the last few lines of a growing file, updated continuously. Typically used on log files. Ctrl+c to exit.

Show file type

file fname

print what type of file it is. (For example, text, jpg, png, pdf, etc.)

edit a file

vi fname

edit a file. Type Escape : q to exit. [see vim Basics]