What is a text diff?

A text diff compares two versions and marks content that was added, removed, or left unchanged. It is useful for source code, configuration, prose, logs, and other plain text.

Line diff vs word diff

Line mode gives a compact structural view and scales best. Word mode focuses on edits within sentences, while character mode is the most detailed and therefore has the strictest size threshold.

Unified and side-by-side views

A unified view places additions and removals in one stream. Side-by-side view separates original and changed text for wider screens. Mobile starts in unified mode to preserve readable line width.

Ignore options

Whitespace, case, and empty lines can be ignored explicitly. These options are never enabled silently because each changes what counts as a meaningful difference.

Frequently asked questions

Is the download a Git patch?

No. The downloaded .diff is a readable local comparison and does not claim repository paths, line hunks, or Git patch compatibility.

Is compared text uploaded?

No. Both inputs are processed in a bounded browser worker and rendered as escaped text.