interdiff

Show differences between two patches

$ interdiff [old.patch] [new.patch]

$ interdiff [version1.patch] [version2.patch] > [upgrade.patch]

$ interdiff -p1 [old.patch] -p2 [new.patch]

$ interdiff -U [old.patch] [new.patch]

interdiff [-p NUM] [-U] [-d PAT] [-q] patch1 patch2

interdiff compares two unified diff files (patches) and generates a diff representing the changes between them. This is useful for understanding what changed between two versions of a patch or for creating incremental patches.
Given patch1 that transforms A to B, and patch2 that transforms A to C, interdiff produces a patch that transforms B to C. This helps when reviewing patch revisions or creating upgrade paths between software versions.

-p NUM

Strip NUM leading path components (like patch -p)

Output in unified diff format

Only compare files matching pattern PAT

Quiet mode; suppress warnings

Run as \"interdiff\", showing changes between patches

Run as \"combinediff\", combining two patches

Run as \"flipdiff\", exchanging the order of two patches

Both input patches must be in unified diff format. Context diffs are not supported. The patches must apply to the same base files for meaningful results. Complex patches with significant structural changes may produce confusing output.

interdiff is part of the patchutils package, written by Tim Waugh and first released around 2001. The patchutils suite provides tools for manipulating patch files, addressing common needs in software development and distribution workflows.

combinediff(1), flipdiff(1), filterdiff(1), diff(1), patch(1)