Documentation/git-diff.txt

   1 git-diff(1)
   2 ===========
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-diff - Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc
   7
   8
   9 SYNOPSIS
  10 --------
  11 [verse]
  12 'git diff' [<options>] [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]
  13 'git diff' [<options>] --cached [--merge-base] [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]
  14 'git diff' [<options>] [--merge-base] <commit> [<commit>...] <commit> [--] [<path>...]
  15 'git diff' [<options>] <commit>...<commit> [--] [<path>...]
  16 'git diff' [<options>] <blob> <blob>
  17 'git diff' [<options>] --no-index [--] <path> <path>
  18
  19 DESCRIPTION
  20 -----------
  21 Show changes between the working tree and the index or a tree, changes
  22 between the index and a tree, changes between two trees, changes resulting
  23 from a merge, changes between two blob objects, or changes between two
  24 files on disk.
  25
  26 'git diff' [<options>] [--] [<path>...]::
  27
  28         This form is to view the changes you made relative to
  29         the index (staging area for the next commit).  In other
  30         words, the differences are what you _could_ tell Git to
  31         further add to the index but you still haven't.  You can
  32         stage these changes by using linkgit:git-add[1].
  33
  34 'git diff' [<options>] --no-index [--] <path> <path>::
  35
  36         This form is to compare the given two paths on the
  37         filesystem.  You can omit the `--no-index` option when
  38         running the command in a working tree controlled by Git and
  39         at least one of the paths points outside the working tree,
  40         or when running the command outside a working tree
  41         controlled by Git. This form implies `--exit-code`.
  42
  43 'git diff' [<options>] --cached [--merge-base] [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]::
  44
  45         This form is to view the changes you staged for the next
  46         commit relative to the named <commit>.  Typically you
  47         would want comparison with the latest commit, so if you
  48         do not give <commit>, it defaults to HEAD.
  49         If HEAD does not exist (e.g. unborn branches) and
  50         <commit> is not given, it shows all staged changes.
  51         --staged is a synonym of --cached.
  52 +
  53 If --merge-base is given, instead of using <commit>, use the merge base
  54 of <commit> and HEAD.  `git diff --merge-base A` is equivalent to
  55 `git diff $(git merge-base A HEAD)`.
  56
  57 'git diff' [<options>] <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
  58
  59         This form is to view the changes you have in your
  60         working tree relative to the named <commit>.  You can
  61         use HEAD to compare it with the latest commit, or a
  62         branch name to compare with the tip of a different
  63         branch.
  64
  65 'git diff' [<options>] [--merge-base] <commit> <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
  66
  67         This is to view the changes between two arbitrary
  68         <commit>.
  69 +
  70 If --merge-base is given, use the merge base of the two commits for the
  71 "before" side.  `git diff --merge-base A B` is equivalent to
  72 `git diff $(git merge-base A B) B`.
  73
  74 'git diff' [<options>] <commit> <commit>... <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
  75
  76         This form is to view the results of a merge commit.  The first
  77         listed <commit> must be the merge itself; the remaining two or
  78         more commits should be its parents.  A convenient way to produce
  79         the desired set of revisions is to use the `^@` suffix.
  80         For instance, if `master` names a merge commit, `git diff master
  81         master^@` gives the same combined diff as `git show master`.
  82
  83 'git diff' [<options>] <commit>..<commit> [--] [<path>...]::
  84
  85         This is synonymous to the earlier form (without the `..`) for
  86         viewing the changes between two arbitrary <commit>.  If <commit> on
  87         one side is omitted, it will have the same effect as
  88         using HEAD instead.
  89
  90 'git diff' [<options>] <commit>\...<commit> [--] [<path>...]::
  91
  92         This form is to view the changes on the branch containing
  93         and up to the second <commit>, starting at a common ancestor
  94         of both <commit>.  `git diff A...B` is equivalent to
  95         `git diff $(git merge-base A B) B`.  You can omit any one
  96         of <commit>, which has the same effect as using HEAD instead.
  97
  98 Just in case you are doing something exotic, it should be
  99 noted that all of the <commit> in the above description, except
 100 in the `--merge-base` case and in the last two forms that use `..`
 101 notations, can be any <tree>.
 102
 103 For a more complete list of ways to spell <commit>, see
 104 "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 105 However, "diff" is about comparing two _endpoints_, not ranges,
 106 and the range notations (`<commit>..<commit>` and
 107 `<commit>...<commit>`) do not mean a range as defined in the
 108 "SPECIFYING RANGES" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
 109
 110 'git diff' [<options>] <blob> <blob>::
 111
 112         This form is to view the differences between the raw
 113         contents of two blob objects.
 114
 115 OPTIONS
 116 -------
 117 :git-diff: 1
 118 include::diff-options.txt[]
 119
 120 -1 --base::
 121 -2 --ours::
 122 -3 --theirs::
 123         Compare the working tree with the "base" version (stage #1),
 124         "our branch" (stage #2) or "their branch" (stage #3).  The
 125         index contains these stages only for unmerged entries i.e.
 126         while resolving conflicts.  See linkgit:git-read-tree[1]
 127         section "3-Way Merge" for detailed information.
 128
 129 -0::
 130         Omit diff output for unmerged entries and just show
 131         "Unmerged".  Can be used only when comparing the working tree
 132         with the index.
 133
 134 <path>...::
 135         The <paths> parameters, when given, are used to limit
 136         the diff to the named paths (you can give directory
 137         names and get diff for all files under them).
 138
 139
 140 include::diff-format.txt[]
 141
 142 EXAMPLES
 143 --------
 144
 145 Various ways to check your working tree::
 146 +
 147 ------------
 148 $ git diff            <1>
 149 $ git diff --cached   <2>
 150 $ git diff HEAD       <3>
 151 ------------
 152 +
 153 <1> Changes in the working tree not yet staged for the next commit.
 154 <2> Changes between the index and your last commit; what you
 155     would be committing if you run `git commit` without `-a` option.
 156 <3> Changes in the working tree since your last commit; what you
 157     would be committing if you run `git commit -a`
 158
 159 Comparing with arbitrary commits::
 160 +
 161 ------------
 162 $ git diff test            <1>
 163 $ git diff HEAD -- ./test  <2>
 164 $ git diff HEAD^ HEAD      <3>
 165 ------------
 166 +
 167 <1> Instead of using the tip of the current branch, compare with the
 168     tip of "test" branch.
 169 <2> Instead of comparing with the tip of "test" branch, compare with
 170     the tip of the current branch, but limit the comparison to the
 171     file "test".
 172 <3> Compare the version before the last commit and the last commit.
 173
 174 Comparing branches::
 175 +
 176 ------------
 177 $ git diff topic master    <1>
 178 $ git diff topic..master   <2>
 179 $ git diff topic...master  <3>
 180 ------------
 181 +
 182 <1> Changes between the tips of the topic and the master branches.
 183 <2> Same as above.
 184 <3> Changes that occurred on the master branch since when the topic
 185     branch was started off it.
 186
 187 Limiting the diff output::
 188 +
 189 ------------
 190 $ git diff --diff-filter=MRC            <1>
 191 $ git diff --name-status                <2>
 192 $ git diff arch/i386 include/asm-i386   <3>
 193 ------------
 194 +
 195 <1> Show only modification, rename, and copy, but not addition
 196     or deletion.
 197 <2> Show only names and the nature of change, but not actual
 198     diff output.
 199 <3> Limit diff output to named subtrees.
 200
 201 Munging the diff output::
 202 +
 203 ------------
 204 $ git diff --find-copies-harder -B -C  <1>
 205 $ git diff -R                          <2>
 206 ------------
 207 +
 208 <1> Spend extra cycles to find renames, copies and complete
 209     rewrites (very expensive).
 210 <2> Output diff in reverse.
 211
 212 SEE ALSO
 213 --------
 214 diff(1),
 215 linkgit:git-difftool[1],
 216 linkgit:git-log[1],
 217 linkgit:gitdiffcore[7],
 218 linkgit:git-format-patch[1],
 219 linkgit:git-apply[1],
 220 linkgit:git-show[1]
 221
 222 GIT
 223 ---
 224 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite