dyff

dyff [command] [options] [files]

dyff is a diff tool specifically designed for YAML and JSON configuration files. Unlike traditional line-based diff tools, it understands the structure of YAML/JSON documents and shows meaningful differences at the semantic level.
The tool is particularly useful for comparing Kubernetes manifests, configuration files, and structured data where the order of keys doesn't matter but their values do. It can ignore certain types of changes (like metadata timestamps) and provides various output formats.

between FILE1 FILE2

Compare two files

Compare Kubernetes manifests (ignore metadata timestamps)

Compare directories recursively

Output format: human, json, yaml, tap (default: human)

Chroot both inputs to a specific path

Ignore changes in list order

Ignore value changes at specific path

Disable table output styling

Display version and exit

Display help and exit

between FILE1 FILE2

Compare two files and show differences

Parse and validate JSON file

Parse and validate YAML file

Display version information

Complex nested structures may produce verbose output. Large files can be slow to compare. Order-sensitive comparisons may miss reorderings unless specifically enabled. Some special YAML features may not be fully supported.

dyff was created by the Homeport team to address the need for semantic diffing of Kubernetes and configuration files. It provides more meaningful output than traditional diff tools when working with structured configuration data.

diff(1), kubectl(1), yq(1), dyff(1)