What command is used to display the contents of a file in Linux?

The command that is commonly used to display the contents of a file in Linux is 'cat'. This command reads the contents of files and outputs them to the standard output, which is typically the terminal screen. It can be used on single or multiple files, and for files that are small enough, it will output the entire contents at once.

While there are other commands like 'less', 'more', and 'view' that are also capable of displaying file contents, they have different functionalities. For example, 'less' allows for backward and forward navigation through the file, making it suitable for larger files. 'more' is an older pager program that displays the contents one screen at a time but does not allow for backward scrolling. 'view' is essentially 'vim' in read-only mode, providing more advanced text viewing options but requiring more familiarity with an editor interface.

Thus, while other options provide varying ways to view files, 'cat' is the most straightforward command for simply displaying the contents of files without any additional functionality.