git-diff.adoc

git-diff(1)
===========

NAME
----
git-diff - Show changes between commits, commit and working tree, etc


SYNOPSIS
--------
[synopsis]
git diff [<options>] [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]
git diff [<options>] --cached [--merge-base] [<commit>] [--] [<path>...]
git diff [<options>] [--merge-base] <commit> [<commit>...] <commit> [--] [<path>...]
git diff [<options>] <commit>...<commit> [--] [<path>...]
git diff [<options>] <blob> <blob>
git diff [<options>] --no-index [--] <path> <path> [<pathspec>...]

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Show changes between the working tree and the index or a tree, changes
between the index and a tree, changes between two trees, changes resulting
from a merge, changes between two blob objects, or changes between two
files on disk.

`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 linkgit:git-add[1].

`git diff [<options>] --no-index [--] <path> <path> [<pathspec>...]`::

	This form is to compare the given two paths on the
	filesystem.  You can omit the `--no-index` option when
	running the command in a working tree controlled by Git and
	at least one of the paths points outside the working tree,
	or when running the command outside a working tree
	controlled by Git. This form implies `--exit-code`. If both
	paths point to directories, additional pathspecs may be
	provided. These will limit the files included in the
	difference. All such pathspecs must be relative as they
	apply to both sides of the diff.

`git diff [<options>] --cached [--merge-base] [<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`.
	If `HEAD` does not exist (e.g. unborn branches) and
	_<commit>_ is not given, it shows all staged changes.
	`--staged` is a synonym of `--cached`.
+
If `--merge-base` is given, instead of using _<commit>_, use the merge base
of _<commit>_ and `HEAD`.  `git diff --cached --merge-base A` is equivalent to
`git diff --cached $(git merge-base A HEAD)`.

`git diff [<options>] [--merge-base] <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.
+
If `--merge-base` is given, instead of using _<commit>_, use the merge base
of _<commit>_ and `HEAD`.  `git diff --merge-base A` is equivalent to
`git diff $(git merge-base A HEAD)`.

`git diff [<options>] [--merge-base] <commit> <commit> [--] [<path>...]`::

	This is to view the changes between two arbitrary
	_<commit>_.
+
If `--merge-base` is given, use the merge base of the two commits for the
"before" side.  `git diff --merge-base A B` is equivalent to
`git diff $(git merge-base A B) B`.

`git diff [<options>] <commit> <commit>...<commit> [--] [<path>...]`::

	This form is to view the results of a merge commit.  The first
	listed _<commit>_ must be the merge itself; the remaining two or
	more commits should be its parents.  Convenient ways to produce
	the desired set of revisions are to use the suffixes `@` and
	`^!`.  If `A` is a merge commit, then `git diff A A^@`,
	`git diff A^!` and `git show A` all give the same combined diff.

`git diff [<options>] <commit>..<commit> [--] [<path>...]`::

	This is synonymous to the earlier form (without the `..`) for
	viewing the changes between two arbitrary _<commit>_.  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 you are doing something exotic, it should be
noted that all of the _<commit>_ in the above description, except
in the `--merge-base` case and in the last two forms that use `..`
notations, can be any _<tree>_. A tree of interest is the one pointed to
by the ref named `AUTO_MERGE`, which is written by the `ort` merge
strategy upon hitting merge conflicts (see linkgit:git-merge[1]).
Comparing the working tree with `AUTO_MERGE` shows changes you've made
so far to resolve textual conflicts (see the examples below).

For a more complete list of ways to spell _<commit>_, see
"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[7].
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 linkgit:gitrevisions[7].

`git diff [<options>] <blob> <blob>`::

	This form is to view the differences between the raw
	contents of two blob objects.

OPTIONS
-------
:git-diff: 1
include::diff-options.adoc[]

`-1`::
`--base`::
`-2`::
`--ours`::
`-3`::
`--theirs`::
	Compare the working tree with
+
--
 * the "base" version (stage #1) when using `-1` or `--base`,
 * "our branch" (stage #2) when using `-2` or `--ours`, or
 * "their branch" (stage #3) when using `-3` or `--theirs`.
--
+
The index contains these stages only for unmerged entries i.e.
while resolving conflicts.  See linkgit:git-read-tree[1]
section "3-Way Merge" for detailed information.

`-0`::
	Omit diff output for unmerged entries and just show
	"Unmerged".  Can be used only when comparing the working tree
	with the index.

`<path>...`::
	The _<path>_ 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).


include::diff-format.adoc[]

EXAMPLES
--------

Various ways to check your working tree::
+
------------
$ git diff            <1>
$ git diff --cached   <2>
$ git diff HEAD       <3>
$ git diff AUTO_MERGE <4>
------------
+
<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`
<4> Changes in the working tree you've made to resolve textual
    conflicts so far.

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 occurred 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
    or 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.

CONFIGURATION
-------------

include::includes/cmd-config-section-all.adoc[]

:git-diff: 1
include::config/diff.adoc[]

SEE ALSO
--------
`diff`(1),
linkgit:git-difftool[1],
linkgit:git-log[1],
linkgit:gitdiffcore[7],
linkgit:git-format-patch[1],
linkgit:git-apply[1],
linkgit:git-show[1]

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite