How to compare two text files in linux

How to compare two text files in Linux: 1. diff command, "diff file1.txt file2.txt", you can compare two files line by line; 2. vimdiff command, "vimdiff file1.txt file2. txt", you can display two files in split screen mode; 3. cmp command, "cmp file1.txt file2.txt" compares two files byte by byte; 4. comm command, etc.

#The operating environment of this article: linux6.4.3 system, Dell G3 computer.

In Linux, you can use various methods and tools to compare two text files. Here are some commonly used methods:

Use the diff command: The diff command is one of the most commonly used commands in Linux for comparing text files. It compares two files line by line and displays the differences between them. You can use the following command to compare two files:

diff file1.txt file2.txt

The diff command will compare the files line by line, display the differences, and indicate the differences with special symbols. For example, added lines will start with a ">" symbol, and deleted lines will start with a "<" symbol.

Use the vimdiff command: vimdiff is a command to compare two files in the Vim editor. It can display two files in split-screen mode and highlight the differences. You can use the following command to compare two files:

vimdiff file1.txt file2.txt

The vimdiff command will display the two files on the left and right sides of the screen, and use different colors to mark the differences. Files can be browsed and modified using Vim's editing commands.

Use the cmp command: The cmp command is used to compare two files by bytes. It compares two files byte by byte and reports the location of the differences if they are found. You can use the following command to compare two files:

cmp file1.txt file2.txt

The cmp command will output the position of the first different byte in the two files and its ASCII code value.

Use comm command: comm command is used to compare two sorted files and display the differences between them. You can use the following command to compare two files:

comm file1.txt file2.txt

comm command will display the differences between the two files in columns. Each column represents a line in a file. The first column represents the lines that only exist in the first file. The second column represents the lines that only exist in the second file. The third column represents the common lines in the two files. OK.

In addition to the above commands, there are other tools that can be used to compare text files, such as meld, wdiff, tkdiff, etc. These tools provide more features and options that can be selected and used according to specific needs.

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