SYNOPSIS
--------
-'git
-diff' [<common diff options>] <commit>{0,2} [--] [<path>...]
+'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>...]::
+'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.
+ stage these changes by using linkgit: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>...]::
+'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.
+ --staged is a synonym of --cached.
-'git
-diff' [--options] <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
+'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
branch name to compare with the tip of a different
branch.
-'git-diff' [--options] <commit> <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
+'git diff' [--options] <commit> <commit> [--] [<path>...]::
+
+ This is to view the changes between two arbitrary
+ <commit>.
+
+'git diff' [--options] <commit>..<commit> [--] [<path>...]::
- This form is to view the changes between two <commit>,
- for example, tips of two branches.
+ 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 $(git-merge-base A B) B". You can omit any one
+ of <commit>, which has the same effect as using HEAD instead.
Just in case if you are doing something exotic, it should be
-noted that all of the <commit> in the above description can be
-any <tree-ish>.
+noted that all of the <commit> in the above description, except
+for the last two forms that use ".." notations, can be any
+<tree-ish>.
For a more complete list of ways to spell <commit>, see
-"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in gitlink:git-rev-parse[1].
-
+"SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
+However, "diff" is about comparing two _endpoints_, not ranges,
+and the range notations ("<commit>..<commit>" and
+"<commit>\...<commit>") do not mean a range as defined in the
+"SPECIFYING RANGES" section in linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].
OPTIONS
-------
+:git-diff: 1
include::diff-options.txt[]
<path>...::
names and get diff for all files under them).
+include::diff-format.txt[]
+
EXAMPLES
--------
file "test".
<3> Compare the version before the last commit and the last commit.
+Comparing branches::
++
+------------
+$ 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::
+
rewrites (very expensive).
<2> Output diff in reverse.
+SEE ALSO
+--------
+linkgit:git-difftool[1]::
+ Show changes using common diff tools
Author
------
GIT
---
-Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite