Fundamentals 4 min read

Master Linux File Viewing: cat, more, less, head, tail & grep Explained

This guide introduces essential Linux commands—cat, more, less, head, tail, and grep—for viewing and searching file contents, explaining their options, typical usage examples, and key differences to help users efficiently navigate and inspect files from the terminal.

Open Source Linux
Open Source Linux
Open Source Linux
Master Linux File Viewing: cat, more, less, head, tail & grep Explained

View File Content

1. cat

描述:查看文件内容
用法:cat [选项]...[文件]...
选项:
  -n  显示行号,包括空白行
  -b  显示行号,空白行不显示行号
[root@qll ~]# cat /etc/passwd
[root@qll ~]# cat -n /etc/passwd
[root@qll ~]# cat -b /etc/passwd

2. more

more命令和cat的功能一样都是查看文件里的内容,但有所不同的是more可以按页来查看文件的内容,还支持直接跳转行等功能。

Common usage:

Enter key: scroll down n lines (default 1)

Space key: scroll down one screen

Ctrl+B: return to previous screen

=: display current line number

V: invoke vi editor

! command: invoke shell and execute command

q: quit more

[root@qll ~]# more /var/log/messages

3. less

描述:分页查看文件内容,空格(下一页)、方向键(上下回翻)、q键(退出查看)。
[root@qll ~]# less /var/log/mingongge.log

4. head

描述:查看文件头部内容,默认显示前10行。
用法:head [选项]...[文件]...
选项:
  -c nK  显示文件前nKB的内容。
  -n     显示文件前n行的内容。
[root@qll ~]# head -c 2k /var/log/messages # view first 2KB
[root@qll ~]# head -n 15 /var/log/messages # view first 15 lines

5. tail

描述:查看文件的尾部内容,默认显示末尾10行。
用法:tail [选项]...[文件]...
选项:
  -c nK  显示文件末尾nKB的内容。
  -n     显示文件末尾n行的内容。
  -f     动态显示文件内容,常用于查看日志,按 Ctrl+C 组合键退出。
[root@qll ~]# tail -c 2KB /var/log/messages # view last 2KB
[root@qll ~]# tail -n 15 /var/log/messages  # view last 15 lines
[root@qll ~]# tail -f /var/log/messages      # real‑time view

6. grep

描述:查找关键词并打印匹配的行。
用法:grep [选项] 匹配模式 [文件]...
常用选项:
  -i  忽略大小写。
  -v  取反匹配
[root@qll ~]# grep root /etc/passwd   # lines containing "root"
[root@qll ~]# grep -i ROOT /etc/passwd # case‑insensitive
[root@qll ~]# grep -v root /etc/passwd # exclude lines with "root"
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