git-diff
TLDR
Show unstaged changes
$ git diff
Show staged changes$ git diff --staged
Diff between branches$ git diff [branch1]..[branch2]
Diff specific file$ git diff [file.txt]
Show word-level diff$ git diff --word-diff
Show stat summary$ git diff --stat
Diff between commits$ git diff [commit1] [commit2]
SYNOPSIS
git diff [options] [commit] [--] [path...]
DESCRIPTION
git diff shows differences between commits, branches, working directory, and staging area. It's essential for reviewing changes before committing and understanding what changed between versions.
By default, it shows unstaged changes (working directory vs index). With --staged, it shows what will be committed. Between commits, it shows all changes.
PARAMETERS
--staged, --cached
Compare staged changes to last commit.--stat
Show diffstat summary.--word-diff
Show word-level changes.--color-words
Colored word diff.--name-only
Show only changed file names.--name-status
Show names and change status.-U n, --unified n
Lines of context.--no-index
Compare files outside repository.--diff-filter filter
Filter by change type (A, D, M, R).-b, --ignore-space-change
Ignore whitespace changes.-w, --ignore-all-space
Ignore all whitespace.
COMMON PATTERNS
$ # What changed in working directory
git diff
# What will be committed
git diff --staged
# Changes in last commit
git diff HEAD~1
# Changes between branches
git diff main..feature
# Changes in a file over time
git diff HEAD~5 -- file.txt
git diff
# What will be committed
git diff --staged
# Changes in last commit
git diff HEAD~1
# Changes between branches
git diff main..feature
# Changes in a file over time
git diff HEAD~5 -- file.txt
