How can I find the difference between two files in Linux?

Comparing files (diff command)

1. To compare two files, type the following: diff chap1.bak chap1. This displays the differences between the chap1.
2. To compare two files while ignoring differences in the amount of white space, type the following: diff -w prog.c.bak prog.c.

What is a file diff?

What Is a DIFF File? A difference file records all the ways two text files are different. They’re sometimes called patch files and might use the PATCH file extension. This file type is normally used by software developers who are updating multiple versions of the same source code.

What does diff stand for in Linux?

diff stands for difference. This command is used to display the differences in the files by comparing the files line by line. Unlike its fellow members, cmp and comm, it tells us which lines in one file have is to be changed to make the two files identical.

What is the difference between LS and LSOF?

It is easy to remember lsof command if you think of it as “ls + of”, where ls stands for list, and of stands for open files. It is a command line utility which is used to list the information about the files that are opened by various processes.

How do I read a diff file?

Diffs are just plain text. You should be able to open it with TextEdit or any other text editor. If you want syntax highlighting probably many of the fancier editors could do that. I just used Aquamacs Emacs to load a diff file and it provided some highlighting.

What is PID and FD?

PID is process identifier, and file descriptor is file handler identifier. Specifically from Wikipedia about File Descriptors: (…) file descriptor (FD) is an abstract indicator for accessing a file. The term is generally used in POSIX operating systems.

What is lsof used for?

lsof is a command meaning “list open files”, which is used in many Unix-like systems to report a list of all open files and the processes that opened them. This open source utility was developed and supported by Victor A.

Which Linux file system should you use?

ext4 is used as a default file system for many Linux distros and unless you want to practice your hands on other types of filesystems, ext4 should be your first choice. Other file systems are adopted where they perform better.

How do you open a file in Linux?

Open File Using cat Command This is the most popular and easy way to display the file content. It simply prints the file content to the terminal.

How to use diff in Linux?

diff is used in the command line. The basic diff syntax looks like this: diff [options] [original filename] [changed filename] This command sets up the basic structure for comparing one file to another. There are also options to add more functionality to a command. Basic Syntax (without Options)

How to compare files using diff?

– Now that the Compare plugin has been installed, open two files – Click on the ‘Plugins’ menu then ‘Compare’ and ‘Compare’ again – The files will be displayed, side by side, with the differences highlighted