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Software Engineering vocabulary · Version Control

Diff

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/dɪf/nounCore term

In software engineering, diff means: A view or file that shows exactly which lines were added, removed or changed between two versions of code, usually in green and red.

In Turkish: fark, değişiklik farkı, karşılaştırma

How it is used

Short for difference. Reviewers 'look at the diff' of a pull request; a small diff is easy to review and a large one is not. It can also be a verb: 'diff the two config files'.

Example sentences

  1. The diff is 2,000 lines long. Could you split it into smaller PRs?

  2. I diffed the two configs and found a missing timeout setting.

Common collocations

  • look at the diff
  • small diff
  • diff view
  • git diff
  • commitA saved snapshot of changes in a repository, with a short message that explains what was changed and why. Also used as a verb: to commit your changes.
  • pull requestA request to merge your code changes from one branch into another, so that teammates can review and discuss them first.
  • code reviewThe practice of teammates reading and commenting on each other's code changes before they are merged, to catch problems and share knowledge.
  • version controlA system that records every change to a set of files over time, so a team can work on the same code, see who changed what and go back to earlier versions.

More terms: Version Control

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