install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install biodiff

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#biodiff

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bi/biodiff/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S biodiff

Arch Linux sync databases · biodiff · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install biodiff

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · biodiff · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install main/biodiff

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/biodiff.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id 8051Enthusiast.biodiff -e

Windows Package Manager source index · 8051Enthusiast.biodiff · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Hex diff viewer using alignment algorithms from biology

Project links

Commands and aliases

biodiff
git-biodiff

history

Project history and usage

biodiff is an interactive binary diff viewer that borrows biological sequence-alignment algorithms to line up similar regions of two binary files.

Project history

The 8051Enthusiast/biodiff repository was created in May 2021. The README describes the tool as a binary diff viewer that displays two files side by side, pads missing bytes, and uses alignment algorithms from WFA2 or rust-bio, libraries normally associated with DNA sequence alignment.

Adoption history

biodiff reached a 1.0.0 release in February 2022 and a 1.2.x series in April 2024. The input package metadata lists Homebrew, Nix, Arch/pacman, Scoop, Winget, and openSUSE/zypper, showing adoption across Unix, Windows package-manager, and Rust-adjacent channels.

How it is used

Users run `biodiff file_a file_b` for a terminal hex view, then switch between unaligned and aligned views, align regions near the cursor, do global or semiglobal alignment for smaller inputs, and optionally print diffs directly with `biodiff --print`.

The README notes that global alignment has quadratic time and space costs and is not a good fit for large files, which is a useful package-level expectation for people comparing firmware chunks or binary formats.

Why package nerds care

biodiff is interesting because it smuggles a bioinformatics idea into reverse-engineering tooling. The package name is literal: binary diffing improved by sequence alignment.

Timeline

2021: Repository created and first v0.1.2 release published.
2022: v1.0.0 released.
2023: v1.1.0 released.
2024: v1.2.1 released.

Related projects

biodiff is related to WFA2-lib, rust-bio, cursive, hex viewers, binary diff tools, and `git difftool` workflows through its `git-biodiff` executable.

Sources

https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff
https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff/releases
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff/main/README.md
source_facts.package-manager

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 10 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Linux: $BIODIFF_CONFIG_DIR/config.json$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/biodiff/config.json~/.config/biodiff/config.json
macOS: $BIODIFF_CONFIG_DIR/config.json~/Library/Application Support/biodiff/config.json
Windows: %BIODIFF_CONFIG_DIR%\config.json%APPDATA%\biodiff\config.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`biodiff`	cli	global executable
`git-biodiff`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-10

manager version1.2.1

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiffnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:biodiff
Version	1.2.1
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/biodiff
Homepage	https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff
Repository	https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff
Upstream docs	https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff.git
Build dependencies	cmake, rust
Uses from macOS	llvm
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	biodiff
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

biodiff

nix profile install nixpkgs#biodiff

normalized package name match
Matched by: Biodiff

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bi/biodiff/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

pacman95%

biodiff 1.2.1-2

Hex diff viewer using alignment algorithms from biology

https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/biodiff

sudo pacman -S biodiff

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
2 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Biodiff

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: biodiff from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

zypper95%

biodiff 1.2.1-1.3

A tool for binary diffing

https://github.com/8051Enthusiast/

sudo zypper install biodiff

License: MIT
Category: Development/Tools/Other
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: biodiff
4 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Biodiff

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: biodiff from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

Scoop95%

main/biodiff

scoop install main/biodiff

normalized package name match
Matched by: Biodiff

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · api.github.com · Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/biodiff.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

8051Enthusiast.biodiff

winget install --id 8051Enthusiast.biodiff -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Biodiff

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: 8051Enthusiast.biodiff from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/biodiff.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install biodiff with Homebrew, Nix, pacman, zypper, scoop, winget