dark

diffstat – Display a histogram of the output of the diff command

The diffstat command is a Linux utility that displays a histogram of the output of the diff command. The diff command is used to compare two files and display the differences between them. The diffstat command takes the output of the diff command and displays it in a more readable format.

Overview

The syntax for using the diffstat command is as follows:

diffstat [options] [diff-file]

The diff-file argument is the output of the diff command. The diff command can be used to compare two files, directories, or even entire file systems. The output of the diff command can be piped to the diffstat command for analysis.

Here is an example of how to use the diffstat command:

$ diff -u file1.txt file2.txt | diffstat

This command will compare the contents of file1.txt and file2.txt, and then pipe the output to the diffstat command. The diffstat command will then display a histogram of the differences between the two files.

Options

The following table lists the available options for the diffstat command:

Option Description
-h Display a help message
-V Display the version of diffstat
-w Ignore whitespace differences
-C Context diff mode
-c Context diff mode
-e Ed script mode
-n RCS format mode
-u Unified diff mode
-p Prima format mode
-s Silent mode

Troubleshooting Tips

If the diffstat command is not producing the expected output, there are a few things to check:

  • Make sure that the output of the diff command is being piped to the diffstat command correctly.
  • Check the options being used with the diffstat command. Make sure that the correct options are being used for the type of diff output being analyzed.
  • If the output of the diff command is very large, the diffstat command may take a long time to produce output. Be patient and allow the command to finish.

Notes

  • The diffstat command is a useful tool for quickly analyzing the output of the diff command.
  • The histogram produced by the diffstat command provides a quick overview of the differences between two files or directories.
  • The diffstat command can be used with any type of diff output, including unified diff, context diff, and ed script format.

Related commands