Git Integration

Differens plugs into your normal git diff workflow. Instead of line hunks, it reports the semantic changes: renames, moves, added parameters.

Install the driver

One command registers Differens as a git diff driver in your repo’s local config, then prints the .gitattributes lines you need to opt files in:

differens install-git-driver

git diff driver installed.
add to .gitattributes:
  *.ts diff=differens
  *.tsx diff=differens
  *.js diff=differens
  *.jsx diff=differens
  *.py diff=differens
  *.rs diff=differens
  *.go diff=differens

then `git diff` narrates those files instead of printing hunks.

Add the diff=differens lines to .gitattributes (repo root or per-directory) for every extension you want covered. Files without the attribute keep normal git diff output. Now git diff on a .ts file shows the change instead of a hunk:

- function computeTotal(items: Item[]): number {
-   return items.reduce((acc, item) => acc + item.price, 0);
+ function calculateTotalAmount(items: Item[], discount: number): number {
+   const base = items.reduce((acc, item) => acc + item.price, 0);
+   return base - discount;
  }

  ~ renamed function `computeTotal` to `calculateTotalAmount`
  + added parameter `discount`

1 modification, 1 addition

The driver receives both versions of every changed file, so this works in git diff, git diff --staged, and git difftool. To remove the driver later, unset the config. See the note in the git package reference.

Standalone modes

No git driver required. differens reads git directly.

Working tree

With no arguments, differens diffs the working tree against HEAD and correlates the changes across files:

differens

This is git diff HEAD in semantic form. It picks up unstaged and staged changes. Untracked files are excluded.

Commit ranges

differens main..feature

Diffs every file that changed between two refs. Output is grouped per file, with cross-file moves reported at the end:

src/checkout.ts
  ~ renamed function `computeTotal` to `calculateTotalAmount`

  cross-file moves:
  → function `formatPrice` from src/old/utils.ts to src/new/utils.ts

3 modifications, 1 move

Two commits

Both arguments resolve as git refs, so two SHAs or branch names diff like a range:

differens 8f3a1c2 5b0e9d7

Two directories

If both arguments are directories, Differens walks each one and diffs matching relative paths:

differens release/1.0/ release/1.1/

Files present on only one side are whole-file additions or removals. Generated and vendor directories (node_modules, dist, .git, …) are skipped. Files over 2 MiB are treated as whole-file additions or removals.

How it compares to git diff

	`git diff`	`differens`
Unit	Lines	Logical changes
A rename	Delete + insert	One `renamed` action
A move between files	Delete + insert	One `Move`, with the destination file
Reformatting	Pure churn	No changes reported
Speed	Instant on huge files	Parse + match per file (see Benchmarks)

Getting Started

How It Works

Guides

Git Integration

Git Integration

Install the driver

Standalone modes

Working tree

Commit ranges

Two commits

Two directories

How it compares to git diff

​Git Integration

​Install the driver

​Standalone modes

​Working tree

​Commit ranges

​Two commits

​Two directories

​How it compares to git diff

Git Integration

Install the driver

Standalone modes

Working tree

Commit ranges

Two commits

Two directories

How it compares to git diff