tcpcat

## Name

tcpcat — gets data from a remote host.

## Synopsis

`tcpcat` [`host` [`port`] ]

## Description

tcpcat uses tcpclient(1) to connect to TCP port `port` on `host`, and prints any data that it receives. It can be used to transfer binary data. It does no conversions; and sends no data to the server.

Its default use is to enable UNIX tools to obtain data from a network QOTD server. If `port` is not supplied, the default is 17. If `host` is not supplied, the default is the local host.

## See also

mconnect(1)

  a bidirectional client for line-by-line servers

## History

tcpcat was originally part of Daniel J. Bernstein's ucspi-tcp toolset in 1999.

## Author

Original code and documentation by Daniel J. Bernstein. Documentation modernizations by Jonathan de Boyne Pollard.