Comparing files with diffoscope
Spot the Difference
Diffoscope finds all the differences between files or folders, but at the price of verbosity. We show you how to focus diffoscope on what you want to know.
Diffoscope [1] is a Python 3 command-line tool that shows, with many more details than you might imagine, all the possible differences between two files, folders, or file archives in TAR, ISO, or other formats. In TAR, ISO, and the others, diffoscope can browse the full internal hierarchy of those containers to look at every file they contain.
The basic features and most common uses of diffoscope were previously explained by Bruce Byfield in Linux Magazine [2]. After a brief recap of those features, I will discuss what I consider a limitation of this tool for non-programmers and then illustrate a general method to overcome that limitation – allowing you to much more quickly exploit this great tool's potential.
Diffoscope's Main Features
The full diffoscope package can handle almost every file format in existence, if the right third-party tools are available in your system. A "minimal" version of the package is also available, and as far as I can tell should be more than adequate for the great majority of users. When browsing folders or archives, diffoscope compares files with the same or similar names in the same subfolder. If there is no other way to find differences between files and display them, it falls back on "hexdump comparison" (i.e., comparing the two files byte by byte and showing differences in byte values).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.
-
Juno Tab 3 Launches with Ubuntu 24.04
Anyone looking for a full-blown Linux tablet need look no further. Juno has released the Tab 3.
-
New KDE Slimbook Plasma Available for Preorder
Powered by an AMD Ryzen CPU, the latest KDE Slimbook laptop is powerful enough for local AI tasks.
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.