macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install icdifflocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install icdiffMacPorts ports tree · textproc/icdiff/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install icdiff with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix
Improved colored diff. Version 2.0.10 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add icdiffAlpine Linux edge package indexes · icdiff · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install icdiffDebian stable package indexes · icdiff · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#icdiffnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ic/icdiff/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Improved colored diff
Project links
Commands and aliases
- git-icdiff
- icdiff
history
Project history and usage
icdiff is a Python command-line diff viewer that presents side-by-side, color-highlighted differences in a terminal. Its goal is not to replace every diff workflow, but to make small intra-line changes easier to see.
Project history
Jeff Kaufman's project page frames icdiff as a focused improvement over plain terminal `diff`: color and side-by-side layout for cases where similar lines are hard to compare. The README says the file is derived from Python's `difflib.HtmlDiff`, released under the same Python license.
The changelog begins with 1.0.0 as the first release and then records a long line of practical terminal and VCS improvements: recursive directory diffs, Unicode and fullwidth-character handling, Git integration, Subversion support, configurable colors, labels, line numbers, Python 3 cleanup, and process-exit behavior.
Adoption history
The README documents installation through pip, apt, Homebrew, AUR, and Nix, and gives integration recipes for Git, Subversion, and Mercurial. The Homebrew package also installs `git-icdiff`, making it a convenient drop-in visual diff helper for version-control users.
How it is used
The direct command form is `icdiff [options] left_file right_file`. It can also be used as `git difftool --extcmd icdiff`, as `git icdiff` through the helper script, as an SVN diff command, or as a Mercurial extdiff command.
Why package nerds care
icdiff is a compact example of package-manager value: a single-purpose terminal UX improvement that spreads through many ecosystems because developers repeatedly want readable diffs without adopting a full graphical merge tool.
Timeline
- 1.0.0: First release recorded in the changelog.
- 1.2.0: Recursive directory diff support added.
- 1.5.3: Subversion difftool support added.
- 1.9.2: Configurable colors, git configuration, and cleaner errors added.
- 2.0.0: Python 2 support dropped and long-line handling improved.
- 2.0.10: Terminal width detection regression reverted.
Related projects
- Related tools and workflows include Python `difflib`, Unix `diff`, Git difftool, Subversion diff commands, Mercurial extdiff, and other terminal visual diff tools.
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 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
git-icdiff | cli | global executable | |
icdiff | 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 version2.0.10
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/jeffkaufman/icdiff
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/jeffkaufman/icdiffnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:icdiff |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.0.10 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/icdiff |
| Homepage | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff |
| Repository | https://github.com/jeffkaufman/icdiff |
| Upstream docs | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff |
| License | PSF-2.0 |
| Source archive | https://github.com/jeffkaufman/icdiff/archive/refs/tags/release-2.0.10.tar.gz |
| Uses from macOS | python |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | icdiff |
| 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 |
|
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%
icdiff 2.0.7-4.1
terminal side-by-side colorized word diff
sudo apt install icdiff- Section: utils
- Architecture: all
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
Nix95%
icdiff
nix profile install nixpkgs#icdiff- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
Ubuntu apt95%
icdiff 2.0.7-1
terminal side-by-side colorized word diff
sudo apt install icdiff- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: all
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
apk95%
icdiff 2.0.10-r1
Improved colored diff
sudo apk add icdiff- License: Python-2.0
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: icdiff
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
apk95%
icdiff-pyc 2.0.10-r1
Precompiled Python bytecode for icdiff
sudo apk add icdiff-pyc- License: Python-2.0
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: icdiff
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
MacPorts95%
icdiff
sudo port install icdiff- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Icdiff
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