11-diff

Git Diff - Master the Art of Viewing Changes

This demo showcases the powerful features of git diff for inspecting changes in your repository.

What You'll Learn

1. Basic Diff - Understanding what changed
2. Diff Statistics - Quick overview with --stat
3. Excluding Files - Filter out noise like package-lock.json
4. Whitespace Handling - Show or ignore whitespace differences
5. Word Diff - Granular, word-by-word change view
6. Staged vs Unstaged - Understanding the three states
7. Diff Between Commits - Compare any two points in history
8. Custom Formats - Compact, name-only, and more
9. Practical Aliases - Boost your productivity
10. Advanced Filters - Using .gitattributes for smarter diffs

Key Commands Demonstrated

# Exclude files from diff
git diff -- . ':(exclude)package-lock.json'
git diff -- ':!*.lock'

# Whitespace handling
git diff --ignore-all-space
git diff --ws-error-highlight=all

# Word-level changes
git diff --color-words
git diff --word-diff

# Different views
git diff --stat
git diff --name-status
git diff --compact-summary

# Staged vs unstaged
git diff              # Working dir vs staging
git diff --staged     # Staging vs HEAD
git diff HEAD         # Working dir vs HEAD

Usage

# First time setup
./setup.sh

# Run the interactive demo
./demo.sh

# Reset everything
./reset.sh

What Makes This Demo Special

• Shows how to filter out noise files (lock files, build artifacts)
• Demonstrates whitespace diff options for post-formatting reviews
• Teaches the difference between working directory, staging area, and commits
• Provides practical aliases you can use immediately
• Interactive and educational format