XXD

xxd is a command-line utility that creates a hex dump of binary data and can convert a hex dump back into binary. It is commonly associated with the Vim text editor and is distributed with Vim’s tooling, but it is widely usable on Unix-like systems as a standalone utility. As part of the Vim project, xxd is typically included in Vim packages and can be found as an executable on many systems.

Operation and output: In its normal mode, xxd translates binary input into a readable hex representation with an accompanying ASCII view. The format is designed to be reversible, so the same tool can reconstruct the original data from the hex dump if desired.

Reverse mode and usage: The tool supports a reverse mode (typically invoked with the -r option) that reads a hex dump and rebuilds the binary data. It can read from standard input or a file and write to standard output or a file. Typical usage examples include: xxd file.bin > file.hex and xxd -r file.hex > file.bin.

Applications and availability: xxd is used for debugging, data inspection, patching binary files, and embedding binary data in text-based formats. It complements other hex utilities such as hexdump and od. On many Linux systems, it is installed as part of the Vim package (for example, /usr/bin/xxd) and can be utilized regardless of whether Vim is otherwise installed.