ICDIFF(1)

📦
version 2.0.10 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 ICDIFF — terminal side-by-side colorized word diff 💖

ok so bestie. icdiff is the terminal side-by-side colorized word diff and honestly? it's giving glow-up. it's the diff you show your friends. it's the diff with main character energy. no cap. ✨

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

icdiff [options] left_file right_file

two files, one vibe check, zero drama (unless you want drama, in which case, keep reading). 🦋

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

it shows you the differences between files in a two column view. left file on the left, right file on the right, and the changes just ✨ glow ✨ so your eyeballs can clock them instantly. periodt.

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • --version — show the program's version number and then dip. that's it, that's the whole option. 👑
  • -h, --help — show this help message and exit. hi bestie, here's the manual, love u. 🫶
  • --cols=COLS — specify the width of the screen. heads up: autodetection is Unix only, so if you're somewhere else, you're on your own fr fr. 😭
  • --encoding=ENCODING — specify the file encoding. default is utf8 because of course it is. 🌈
  • -E MATCHER, --exclude-lines=MATCHER — do not diff lines that match this regex. not compatible with the 'line-numbers' option, so pick a lane, babe. 💀
  • --head=HEAD — only look at the first N lines of each file. we're skimming, not reading. 📖
  • -H, --highlight — color by changing the background color instead of the foreground color. the manual itself says: very fast, ugly, displays all changes. iconic honesty. it's ugly but it's fast, iykyk. 🙈
  • -L LABELS, --label=LABELS — override file labels with arbitrary tags. use it twice, once for each file. you may include the formatting strings '{path}' and '{basename}' ✨
  • -N, --line-numbers — generate output with line numbers. not compatible with the 'exclude-lines' option. it's one or the other, bestie, choose wisely. 🎀
  • --no-bold — use non-bold colors. recommended for solarized. soft girl aesthetic mode. 🌸
  • --no-headers — don't label the left and right sides with their file names. mysterious. anonymous. main character with no name. 🦋
  • --output-encoding=OUTPUT_ENCODING — specify the output encoding. default is utf8. 💜
  • -r, --recursive — recursively compare subdirectories. we're going deep, we're going ALL the way down. 🕳️
  • -s, --report-identical-files — report when two files are the same. sometimes the tea is that there's no tea. 💖
  • --show-all-spaces — color all non-matching whitespace, including the whitespace that isn't even needed for drawing your eye to the changes. the manual says: slow, ugly, displays all changes. so like. you've been warned. 🫠
  • --show-no-spaces — don't color whitespace-only changes. quiet luxury. ✨
  • --tabsize=TABSIZE — tab stop spacing. yes the tabs matter. the tabs always matter. 📏
  • -t, --truncate — truncate long lines instead of wrapping them. sometimes you just gotta cut it off. ✂️
  • -u, --patch — generate patch. and get this: this is always true, and it only exists for compatibility. it's a decorative option, bestie. it's doing nothing but looking pretty. 💅
  • -U NUM, --unified=NUM, --numlines=NUM — how many lines of context to print. can't be combined with --whole-file. pick your fighter. 🔥
  • -W, --whole-file — show the whole file instead of just changed lines and context. go big or go home. 👑
  • -P, --permissions — compare the file permissions as well as the content of the file. yes, we're checking the vibes and the paperwork. 📋
  • --strip-trailing-cr — strip any trailing carriage return at the end of an input line. bye bye \r, we will not miss you. 💀
  • --color-map=COLOR_MAP — choose which colors are used for which items. the default is:
--color-map='add:green_bold,change:yellow_bold,description:blue,line-numbers:white,meta:magenta,permissions:yellow,separator:blue,subtract:red_bold'

you don't have to override all of them, so you can just do a little touch-up like:

'--colormap=separator:white,description:cyan

✨ custom palette, custom era. ✨

  • --is-git-diff — show the real file name when displaying git-diff result. no more mystery meat filenames. 🧚
  • -x PAT, --exclude=PAT — exclude files that match PAT. not today, not ever, blocked. 🚫
🌟 friendly reminder from your girl: --exclude-lines and --line-numbers are not compatible, and -U/--unified/--numlines can't be combined with --whole-file. respect the boundaries bestie, they're there for a reason. 💖

and that's the whole page, bestie!! you ate this. go diff something beautiful. 🌸💅

this was icdiff version 2.0.10, dated February 2026, brought to you by the User Commands section of the manual. mwah. 😘

📦 where this page comes from