diffsitter is a semantic diff tool for source code.
Instead of comparing files purely as text, it parses code with tree-sitter and computes differences from the abstract syntax tree, which helps it ignore non-meaningful formatting changes such as spacing and layout. The project is designed for developers who want diffs that better reflect code structure, and it also offers configuration options for file associations, output formatting, and filtering the syntax nodes that take part in comparisons.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Creates semantically meaningful diffs by comparing abstract syntax trees instead of raw text.
- Ignores purely formatting-related changes that don’t alter code meaning.
- Supports multiple languages through tree-sitter, including Bash, C#, C++, CSS, Go, Java, OCaml, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Typescript/TSX, and HCL.
- Lets you configure file associations and formatting options with a config file.
- Supports include and exclude rules for tree-sitter node kinds so you can control which syntax nodes are considered in the diff.
- Offers terminal-aware formatted output.
- Includes extensive logging for debugging and timing information.
- Cross-platform support – runs under Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/afnanenayet/diffsitter
Support:
Developer: Afnan Enayet
License: MIT License
diffsitter is written in Rust. Learn Rust with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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