# Install icdiff with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix Improved colored diff. Version 2.0.10 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:icdiff ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install icdiff ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install icdiff ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/icdiff/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add icdiff ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: icdiff from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install icdiff ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: icdiff from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#icdiff ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ic/icdiff/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:icdiff - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.0.10 - **Source summary:** Improved colored diff - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** PSF-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - git-icdiff (cli) - icdiff (cli) - git-icdiff (alias) - icdiff (alias) ## Uses from macOS - python ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.0.10 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/jeffkaufman/icdiff - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## 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 Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - icdiff - 2.0.7-4.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: icdiff from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | terminal side-by-side colorized word diff | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff - Nix - icdiff: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ic/icdiff/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - icdiff - 2.0.7-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: icdiff from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | terminal side-by-side colorized word diff | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff - apk - icdiff - 2.0.10-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: icdiff from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Improved colored diff | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff - apk - icdiff-pyc - 2.0.10-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: icdiff-pyc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Precompiled Python bytecode for icdiff | https://www.jefftk.com/icdiff - MacPorts - icdiff: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: textproc/icdiff/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [colordiff](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/colordiff/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diff-so-fancy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diff-so-fancy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diffr](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffr/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff, terminal. - [diffnav](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffnav/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff. - [diffoci](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffoci/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff. - [diffoscope](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffoscope/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff. - [diffstat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diffstat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff. - [difftastic](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/difftastic/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, diff. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/icdiff.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/icdiff.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph