git-diff(1) =========== NAME ---- git-diff - Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc SYNOPSIS -------- 'git-diff' [<common diff options>] <commit>{0,2} [--] [<path>...] DESCRIPTION ----------- Show changes between two trees, a tree and the working tree, a tree and the index file, or the index file and the working tree. 'git-diff' [--options] [--] [<path>...]:: This form is to view the changes you made relative to the index (staging area for the next commit). In other words, the differences are what you _could_ tell git to further add to the index but you still haven't. You can stage these changes by using gitlink:git-add[1]. + If exactly two paths are given, and at least one is untracked, compare the two files / directories. This behavior can be forced by --no-index. 'git-diff' [--options] --cached [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]:: This form is to view the changes you staged for the next commit relative to the named <commit>. Typically you would want comparison with the latest commit, so if you do not give <commit>, it defaults to HEAD. 'git-diff' [--options] <commit> [--] [<path>...]:: This form is to view the changes you have in your working tree relative to the named <commit>. You can use HEAD to compare it with the latest commit, or a branch name to compare with the tip of a different branch. 'git-diff' [--options] <commit> <commit> [--] [<path>...]:: This is to view the changes between two arbitrary <commit>. 'git-diff' [--options] <commit>..<commit> [--] [<path>...]:: This is synonymous to the previous form. If <commit> on one side is omitted, it will have the same effect as using HEAD instead. 'git-diff' [--options] <commit>\...<commit> [--] [<path>...]:: This form is to view the changes on the branch containing and up to the second <commit>, starting at a common ancestor of both <commit>. "git-diff A\...B" is equivalent to "git-diff $(git-merge-base A B) B". You can omit any one of <commit>, which has the same effect as using HEAD instead. Just in case if you are doing something exotic, it should be noted that all of the <commit> in the above description, except for the last two forms that use ".." notations, can be any <tree-ish>. For a more complete list of ways to spell <commit>, see "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in gitlink:git-rev-parse[1]. However, "diff" is about comparing two _endpoints_, not ranges, and the range notations ("<commit>..<commit>" and "<commit>\...<commit>") do not mean a range as defined in the "SPECIFYING RANGES" section in gitlink:git-rev-parse[1]. OPTIONS ------- include::diff-options.txt[] <path>...:: The <paths> parameters, when given, are used to limit the diff to the named paths (you can give directory names and get diff for all files under them). Output format ------------- include::diff-format.txt[] EXAMPLES -------- Various ways to check your working tree:: + ------------ $ git diff <1> $ git diff --cached <2> $ git diff HEAD <3> ------------ + <1> Changes in the working tree not yet staged for the next commit. <2> Changes between the index and your last commit; what you would be committing if you run "git commit" without "-a" option. <3> Changes in the working tree since your last commit; what you would be committing if you run "git commit -a" Comparing with arbitrary commits:: + ------------ $ git diff test <1> $ git diff HEAD -- ./test <2> $ git diff HEAD^ HEAD <3> ------------ + <1> Instead of using the tip of the current branch, compare with the tip of "test" branch. <2> Instead of comparing with the tip of "test" branch, compare with the tip of the current branch, but limit the comparison to the file "test". <3> Compare the version before the last commit and the last commit. Comparing branches:: + ------------ $ git diff topic master <1> $ git diff topic..master <2> $ git diff topic...master <3> ------------ + <1> Changes between the tips of the topic and the master branches. <2> Same as above. <3> Changes that occured on the master branch since when the topic branch was started off it. Limiting the diff output:: + ------------ $ git diff --diff-filter=MRC <1> $ git diff --name-status <2> $ git diff arch/i386 include/asm-i386 <3> ------------ + <1> Show only modification, rename and copy, but not addition nor deletion. <2> Show only names and the nature of change, but not actual diff output. <3> Limit diff output to named subtrees. Munging the diff output:: + ------------ $ git diff --find-copies-harder -B -C <1> $ git diff -R <2> ------------ + <1> Spend extra cycles to find renames, copies and complete rewrites (very expensive). <2> Output diff in reverse. Author ------ Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org> Documentation -------------- Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>. GIT --- Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite