<p>I use my terminal everyday, and frequently I am way faster with it then navigating around with my mouse in Finder.</p>
<p>Within your terminal the <code>cat</code> command is very useful to quickly peek inside a file, but when you're looking at source code, this is a bit difficult to read. I just thought "<em>Wouldn't there be syntax highlighting for my terminal?</em>". As it turns out, there is. 🎉</p>
<h2 id="how-to-set-it-up">How to set it up</h2>
<ul>
<li>With <a target="_blank" href="https://brew.sh/">Brew</a>, install Pygments: <code>brew install pygments</code></li>
<li>Next, add the following to your .zshrc/.bashrc file: <code>alias cat="pygmentize -g"</code></li>
<li>Open a new terminal window, or source your .zshrc file: <code>source ~/.zshrc</code></li>
</ul>
<p>Now, when you e.g. run <code>cat Dockerfile</code> on a Dockerfile, things look very neat!</p>


I use my terminal everyday, and frequently I am way faster with it then navigating around with my mouse in Finder.

Within your terminal the `cat` command is very useful to quickly peek inside a file, but when you're looking at source code, this is a bit difficult to read. I just thought "_Wouldn't there be syntax highlighting for my terminal?_". As it turns out, there is. 🎉

## How to set it up

* With [Brew](https://brew.sh/), install Pygments: `brew install pygments`
* Next, add the following to your .zshrc/.bashrc file: `alias cat="pygmentize -g"`
* Open a new terminal window, or source your .zshrc file: `source ~/.zshrc`

Now, when you e.g. run `cat Dockerfile` on a Dockerfile, things look very neat!

Add syntax highlighting to 'cat' in your terminal

Empathic, driven and inventive: Makes anything work with tech in a practical and efficient way, without losing touch with the human side. CTO/Co-founder of Embrosa.


Rogier van den Berg

Rogier van den Berg

Add syntax highlighting to 'cat' in your terminal

How to set it up