Linux files easy to compare, free and open source comparison software

The file Compare tool is used to compare the contents of files on your computer to find them in the same and different places. The results of comparisons are often referred to as diff.

Diff is also the name of a console-based, well-known file comparison program that can output two different files from one another. Diff was developed on the UNIX operating system in the early the 1970s. Diff will output the portions of the two files that are different from each other.

Linux has a lot of good GUI tools, so you can clearly see the differences between two files or different versions of the same file. This time I selected five recommendations from my favorite GUI comparison tool. In addition to one of them, the others are open source.

These applications allow you to see more clearly the differences in files or directories, to merge the different files, to resolve conflicts and to output them as a new file or patch, and also for those products that preview and note file changes (for example, before the source code is merged into the source file tree, the source code changes are accepted first). Therefore, they are very important software development tools. They can help developers to process files and keep their files spinning. These comparison tools can not only be used to display differences in source code files, they also apply to many kinds of text files. Visual features make file comparisons easy and simple.

Meld

Meld is an open-source, graphical, file-view and merge application for GNOME desktops. It supports simultaneous comparison of 2 to 3 files, a recursive directory comparison, and directory comparisons under version control (Bazaar, Codeville, CVS, Darcs, Fossil SCM, Git, Mercurial, monotone, Subversion). You can also manually or automatically merge file differences.

The focus of meld is to help developers compare and merge multiple source files and visually navigate the changed places under their favorite version control system.

Features include

• Edit files in place, update instantly
• Compare and merge two to three files
• Navigating between the differences and conflicts that are displayed
• Visualize local and global differences using tags such as insert, change, and conflict
• Built-in regular expression text filter to ignore unimportant differences
• Syntax high brightness display (with optional gtksourceview)
• Compare files from two to three directories individually, showing new, missing, and replaced files
• Open the diff interface directly for any conflicting or differentiated files
• You can filter files or directories to avoid ignoring certain differences
• Auto Merge mode of modified area makes merging easier
• There is also a simple file management
• Supports multiple version control systems, including Git, Mercurial, Bazaar and SVN
• Open file comparison before submission to check where and what has changed
• View File version Status
• Also enables simple versioning operations (for example, submitting, updating, adding, moving, or deleting files)
• Automatic merging of two files inherited from the same file
• Label and display the underlying version of all conflicting changes in the middle pane
• Unrelated independent modifications that display and merge the same file
• Lock read-only base files to avoid errors
• Can be integrated into an existing command line interface, including Gitmergetool
• Internationalization support

• Visualization makes file comparisons easier

• Website: meldmerge.org

• Developer: Kai Willadsen

• Certificate: GNU GPL v2

• Version number: 1.8.5

Diffmerge

Diffmerge is an application that can run on Linux, Windows, and OS X, and can visualize file comparisons and merges.

Features include:

• Graphically displays the differences between the two files. Includes insert lines, highlighting, and full support for editing
• Graphically displays the differences between the three files. (Security premise) allows automatic merging and can be edited freely for the final file
• Displays a comparison of two folders side-by, showing which file exists only in one of the folders and does not exist in another folder, and can be paired with exactly the same, equivalent, or different files.
• Rule settings and options allow you to personalize the look and behavior of it
• Unicode-based, multiple encoded characters can be imported

• Cross-platform tools

• Website: sourcegear.com/diffmerge

• Developer: SourceGear LLC

• Certificate: Licensed for use free of charge (not open source)

• Version number: 4.2

Xxdiff

Xxdiff is an open source graphical tool for file, directory comparison, and merging.

The Xxdiff can be used to display differences between two to three files or two directories, and also to produce a merged version. The two or three files that are compared are displayed side-by-side, and the different text content is highlighted in various colors for easy identification.

This program is a very important software development tool. He can graphically display the differences between two files or directories, merge different files, and also use them for previews and memo file changes (for example, to accept source code changes before merging the source code into the source file tree)

Features include:

• Compare two to three files, or two directories (shallow or recursive)
• Horizontal highlighting differences
• Interactive file merging, visualization of output and saving
• can assist in merging comments/supervision
• CVS conflicts are not merged when merging files automatically, and are displayed in two files for resolution of conflicts
• Differences can be calculated using other comparison programs: Cleardiff for GNU diff, SGI diff, and ClearCase, and all file comparators similar to those of the program output.
• Full personalization can be achieved using resource files
• Used to feel similar to Rudy Wortel or SGI Xdiff, regardless of the desktop system

• Features and outputs can be easily integrated with scripts

• Website: Furius.ca/xxdiff

• Developer: Martin Blais

• Certificate: GNU GPL

• Version number: 4.0

Diffuse

Diffuse is an open source graphical tool that you can use to combine and compare text files. Diffuse is able to compare any number of files, display them side-by, and provide manual line matching adjustments to directly edit the file. Diffuse can also get versions for comparison and merging from Bazaar, CVS, Darcs, git, mercurial, monotone, subversion, and GNU RCS libraries.

Features include:

• Compare any number of files and display them side-by-sides (merge by multiparty)
• Line matching can be manually corrected by the user
• Edit files directly
• Syntax highlighting
• Supports Bazaar, CVS, Darcs, Git, Mercurial, monotone, RCS, Subversion and SVK
• Unicode supported
• Can be infinitely revoked

• Easy-to-use keyboard navigation

• Website: [diffuse.sourceforge.net][]

• Developer: Derrick Moser

• Certificate: GNU GPL v2

• Version number: 0.4.7

Kompare

Kompare is an open source GUI front-end program that can visualize and merge the differences between different source files. Kompare can compare differences in file or folder contents. Kompare supports a variety of diff formats and offers various options to set the level of information displayed.

Whether you're a developer who wants to compare source code, or just want to compare the differences between the manuscript and the Final Document, Kompare is a useful tool.

Kompare is part of the KDE desktop environment.

Features include:

• Comparison of two text files
• Recursive comparison table of contents
• Show diff-generated patches
• Merge patches into an existing directory

• Makes it easier for you to compile

• Website: www.caffeinated.me.uk/kompare/

• Developer: the Kompare Team

• Certificate: GNU GPL

• Version number: part of KDE

Linux files easy to compare, free and open source comparison software