zcat

Print compressed file contents Decompresses gzip files to stdout without touching the file — great for rotated logs.

Print compressed file contents

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain

What it does

Decompresses gzip files to stdout without touching the file — great for rotated logs.

Examples

zcat /var/log/syslog.2.gz | grep -i errorSearch a rotated log · explain & risk-check →

zcat -f file.gz file.txtWorks with plain files too · explain & risk-check →

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man zcat for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.