see-file-differences-with-diff.md

See differences between files with diff command

The diff command allows you to quickly compare differences between two files.

Usage:

diff example1.txt example2.txt

To see differences in context, use the -c flag. This produces differences similar to git, with pluses and minuses shown in context by new and deleted lines.

diff -c example1.txt example2.txt

To only check if two files differ without printing differences, use the -q --brief pair of flags.

diff -q --brief example1.txt example2.txt

This is regularly useful for checking updates and troubleshooting expected responses from services.

See the man page for more options.