macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install diffstatlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install diffstatMacPorts ports tree · devel/diffstat/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install diffstat with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Produce graph of changes introduced by a diff file. Version 1.69 via Homebrew; verified 2026-04-15.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install diffstatDebian stable package indexes · diffstat · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install diffstatFedora Rawhide package metadata · diffstat · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#diffstatnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/di/diffstat/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S diffstatArch Linux sync databases · diffstat · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install diffstatopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · diffstat · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Produce graph of changes introduced by a diff file
Project links
Commands and aliases
- diffstat
history
Project history and usage
diffstat reads diff output and produces per-file histograms of insertions, deletions, and modifications. It is a compact review aid for large patch sets.
Project history
Thomas E. Dickey's official history says he originally wrote diffstat in 1992, alongside rcshist, to trace changes in collections of files. He later found it most useful for summarizing source patches.
Adoption history
The official history says broader attention arrived in early 1996 when developers on XFree86 and ncurses mailing lists started using it. It also notes Linux kernel patch-process visibility through BitKeeper-era workflows and Git's later built-in ability to generate diffstat-style summaries.
How it is used
diffstat sits after `diff` in a pipeline and turns patch text into a size-and-shape summary. That makes it useful in email review, release notes, package deltas, and quick scans of large changes before reading detailed hunks.
Why package nerds care
Package maintainers care about diffstat because it is one of the small classic tools that made patch exchange readable at scale. The output compresses a patch into a reviewable map: which files changed and roughly how much.
Timeline
- 1992: Thomas E. Dickey wrote diffstat.
- 1996: XFree86 and ncurses developers began using it more visibly.
- 2002: Linux kernel BitKeeper patch workflow documentation referenced diffstat-style summaries.
- 2026: diffstat 1.69 released with compiler-warning fixes.
Related projects
- diffstat depends culturally and practically on diff and patch workflows; Git later incorporated diffstat-style output for repository changes.
Sources
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 6 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
diffstat | 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 generated2026-07-08
manager version1.69
manager updated2026-04-15
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:diffstat |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.69 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/diffstat |
| Homepage | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/ |
| Upstream docs | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/diffstat.html |
| License | MIT-CMU |
| Source archive | https://invisible-mirror.net/archives/diffstat/diffstat-1.69.tgz |
| Last updated | 2026-04-15T09:10:38Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, 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 | diffstat |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
diffstat 1.67-1
produces graph of changes introduced by a diff file
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
sudo apt install diffstat- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
Nix95%
diffstat
nix profile install nixpkgs#diffstat- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
Ubuntu apt95%
diffstat 1.66-1build1
produces graph of changes introduced by a diff file
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
sudo apt install diffstat- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
dnf95%
diffstat 1.69-1.fc45
A utility which provides statistics based on the output of diff
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat
sudo dnf install diffstat- License: X11
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: diffstat
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
pacman95%
diffstat 1.69-1
Display a histogram of diff changes
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat
sudo pacman -S diffstat- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
zypper95%
diffstat 1.69-1.1
Utility That Provides Statistics Based on the Output of diff
https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
sudo zypper install diffstat- License: MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: diffstat
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
MacPorts95%
diffstat
sudo port install diffstat- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Diffstat
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.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment