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zcat Command - View Compressed Files Without Decompression
zcat is used to view the contents of compressed files (usually .gz) without explicitly decompressing them. It outputs the uncompressed data to standard output.
Syntax
zcat [file.gz ...]
Examples
zcat archive.log.gz
Display the contents of a compressed log file.
zcat file1.gz file2.gz | less
View multiple compressed files with less.
Notes
- Equivalent to
gunzip -c. - Does not modify the original compressed file.
- Useful for viewing large compressed logs directly.
