Session and utilities

The xxd command

Shows a file in hexadecimal and its text equivalent, byte by byte. Essential to inspect binary data.

Syntax

xxd [archivo]

Most useful options

-rReverts: from hexadecimal to binary
-g NGroups bytes N by N

Copy-ready examples

$ echo hola | xxdHexadecimal dump

You can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.

Typical mistakes

  • Non-printable bytes appear as a dot in the text column.

Related commands

odbase64file

FAQ

What is looking at bytes for?

To debug formats, check file headers or understand encodings.

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