String Diff Viewer

What is a Diff Viewer?

A diff viewer is a tool that compares two pieces of text and highlights the differences between them. It's an essential tool for programmers, writers, and anyone who needs to track changes between different versions of text-based content.

The name "diff" comes from the Unix command-line utility of the same name, which produces a summary of the differences between two files.

How Diff Works

Diff algorithms work by identifying the longest common subsequence (LCS) between two texts, then determining what changes (insertions, deletions, or modifications) would be needed to transform one text into the other.

The algorithm breaks down the comparison into "chunks" or "hunks" of changes, showing unchanged lines for context around each change. This makes it easier to understand the modifications in their proper context.

Key Features of Our Diff Tool

• Side-by-side comparison view
• Color-coded differences for easy visualization
• Line-by-line comparison
• Support for both plain text and code
• Light and dark theme support
• Client-side processing (your data never leaves your browser)

Common Use Cases

The diff viewer is useful in many scenarios:

• Comparing different versions of source code
• Reviewing changes in configuration files
• Checking differences between drafts of documents
• Verifying changes to JSON, XML, or other structured data
• Identifying changes between exported database records
• Document revision and editing
• Analyzing log file changes

Tips for Using the Diff Tool

• Consistent Formatting: For code comparison, use consistent formatting or apply a code formatter before comparing to reduce noise from whitespace or indentation changes.
• Line Breaks: Consider line breaks when comparing large blocks of text—breaking text into shorter lines can make differences easier to spot.
• Check Whitespace: Sometimes important differences are just whitespace or special characters that look identical—pay careful attention to highlighted areas.
• Context Matters: Look at the surrounding lines to understand the context of each change.
• Large Files: For very large files, consider focusing on smaller sections at a time for better performance and readability.