• [git diff]/dev-cheatsheets/cheatsheets/version-control/git/commands/diff.html
  • [git diff-index]/dev-cheatsheets/cheatsheets/version-control/git/commands/diff-index.html

Differences

  • Purpose:
    • git diff: General-purpose command for showing differences between various Git trees, working directory, and index
    • git diff-index: Specific command for comparing the current index (staging area) with another tree
  • Common usage:
    • git diff: Often used without arguments to show changes between working directory and index (staged changes)
    • git diff-index: Typically used to compare the index with the HEAD commit
  • Flexibility:
    • git diff: Can be used in a variety of scenarios to compare different states of files
    • git diff-index: More targeted, focused on comparisons involving the index
  • Typical use cases:
    • git diff: Viewing unstaged changes, comparing branches, commits, or any two Git trees
    • git diff-index: Seeing what changes are staged for the next commit compared to a specific tree-ish object
  • Scope:
    • git diff: Broader comparison capabilities across different Git states
    • git diff-index: More specific, primarily for index-based comparisons
  • Arguments:
    • git diff: Can take various arguments to specify what to compare (commits, branches, files)
    • git diff-index: Typically takes a tree-ish object (usually HEAD) to compare against the index