Understanding the Linux Diff Command with Examples

Diff command in Linux

The diff command is a powerful tool used to compare differences between two files or directories. It can be used to identify the changes, additions, and deletions between two versions of a file. The output of the diff command usually consists of a set of "diffs", each signifying an individual change.

Examples of Diff command in Linux

The following are some examples of how to use the diff command in Linux:

• Compare two files:
  diff file1.txt file2.txt
• See the differences between two folders:
  diff -r dir1/ dir2/
• Find out which lines within a file have changed:
  diff -u file1.txt file2.txt
• Generate a patch file from the differences between two files:
  diff -Naur file1.txt file2.txt > patch_file.patch

These are just some of the ways you can use the diff command in Linux. For more detailed documentation, refer to the man page for the diff command.