5/27/2026 · 2 min read

The git diff command compares different states of your code to show exactly what lines have been added, modified, or deleted. It serves as a safety check before you stage or commit code.

Core Commands

• View unstaged changes: Compare your current working directory with your staging area. bash git diff Use code with caution.
• View staged changes: Compare your staged changes (after running git add) with your last commit. bash git diff --staged Use code with caution. (Note: git diff —cached does the exact same thing.)

• View all local changes: Compare everything in your working directory (staged or unstaged) against your last commit. bash git diff HEAD Use code with caution.
• Advanced ComparisonsCompare specific files: Restrict the output to a single file to reduce terminal noise. bash git diff path/to/file.txt Use code with caution.

• Compare two branches: See what is different between the tips of two separate branches. bash git diff branch_one branch_two Use code with caution.

• Compare two specific commits: Use commit hashes to see exactly what changed between two points in history.bash git diff 1234abc 5678def
  Use code with caution.
• Useful Formatting Flags—stat: Show a high-level summary of modified files and line counts instead of the full raw code change.-w:
• Ignore all whitespace changes (like extra spaces or tabs) to focus purely on code logic.—name-only: Display only the names of the files that changed.—color-words: Show inline word-level changes instead of comparing entire lines.
• How to Read the OutputWhen you run git diff, the terminal uses specific markers to show modifications:Red text with a minus sign (-):

Content that was removed or modified from the older version.Green text with a plus sign (+): Content that was added or represents the updated version.