LazyDiff

A terminal-based diff viewer written in Rust that makes it easier to compare files. The tool not only shows you nicely formatted diffs, it allows you to copy the patch content to the clipboard or export it as a file.

Getting Started

Installation

You can install lazydiff using Cargo:

cargo install lazydiff

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70 or higher
• A terminal emulator with support for modern terminal features

Building from Source

If you prefer to build from source:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/lazydiff.git
cd lazydiff
cargo build --release

The binary will be available at target/release/lazydiff.

Usage

Basic Usage

Launch lazydiff with two files to compare:

lazydiff file1.txt file2.txt

Or start lazydiff and interactively select files:

lazydiff

You can also specify just the source file:

lazydiff source.txt

Keyboard Shortcuts

In Diff View:

• q - Quit the application
• s - Select a new source file
• t - Select a new target file
• c - Copy diff to clipboard
• e - Export diff as a patch file
• ↑/↓ - Scroll through the diff

In File Browser:

• ↑/↓ - Navigate files and directories
• Enter - Select file or enter directory
• Esc or q - Cancel selection (or exit if no files selected)

Features

• Interactive File Browser: Navigate your filesystem and select files to compare
• Syntax Highlighting: Color-coded diff output (green for additions, red for deletions)
• Clipboard Integration: Copy diffs directly to your clipboard with a single keypress
• Patch Export: Generate standard unified diff patch files
• Intuitive Interface: Clean, distraction-free TUI built with ratatui

Documentation

For information on contributing to lazydiff, please see the Contributing Guide.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.