xxd Command in Linux

Syntax of xxd Command in Linux

The basic syntax of the xxd command in Linux is as follows:

Where:

• options: These are the flags or switches used with the command that modify its behavior. They are optional.
• infile: This is the input file which will be converted to a hex dump. If it's omitted, xxd reads from the standard input.
• outfile: This is the file where the output of the command will be stored. If it's omitted, xxd writes to the standard output.

Options in xxd Command in Linux

1. -r, -revert: This option converts the hex dump back to binary.

   For example -

   Output:

   This command converts a hexadecimal string back into its plain text equivalent.

2. -p, -ps, -postscript, -plain: Produces plain hexdump style output.

   For example -

   Output:

   The command translates the plain text 'Hello' into hexadecimal.

3. -c, -cols : This option lets you specify the number of columns for the output format.

   For example -

   Output:

   This command uses the '-c' flag to specify that each byte should be on a new line.

Example Usages

• Basic usage of xxd command.:

  Output:

  Explanation: The command takes the string 'Hello World!' as input and displays the hex representation along with the ASCII output.

• Reverse operation with xxd command.:

  Output:

  Explanation: The command takes a hex string as input and reverses it back to ASCII.

Advanced Use Cases of xxd Command in Linux

• Displaying binary code of a file.:

  Output:

  Explanation: This command reads the content of the specified file and displays it in binary format.

• Limit the number of bytes to display.:

  Output:

  Explanation: This command displays the first 100 bytes of the specified file.

• Displaying the output in a single line.:

  Output:

  Explanation: This command displays the output in plain hexdump style with 200 columns, effectively displaying all output in a single line.