difftastic

difft [options] [path1] [path2]

difftastic is a structural diff tool that understands syntax. Unlike traditional line-based diff tools, it parses the code according to the programming language and shows changes based on the actual structure of the code.
The tool supports over 20 programming languages and provides more accurate diffs by recognizing when code has moved versus changed. It can be used standalone or integrated with git as a difftool.

--color MODE

Color mode: auto, always, never

Display mode: side-by-side, inline, or json

Syntax highlighting: on, off

Exit with status 1 if files differ

Strip carriage returns before comparing

Number of context lines to show

Tab width for display (default: 4)

Maximum width of output display

Print all supported languages

Display help and exit

Display version and exit

Configure as git difftool:

$ git config --global diff.tool difftastic

$ git config --global difftool.difftastic.cmd 'difft "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"'

$ git difftool

May be slower than traditional diff tools for very large files. Requires language grammars which may not support all edge cases. Binary files are not supported. Very deeply nested structures may have display issues.

difftastic was created by Wilfred Hughes to address the limitations of line-based diffing when working with code. It uses tree-sitter parsers to build syntax trees and compare them structurally. The project has gained significant popularity for providing clearer, more meaningful diffs.

diff(1), git(1), delta(1), diffnav(1)