gdif

Lightweight, Git-like Version Control System (VCS) CLI built with Node.js, Commander, and Ignore.

Features

• Content-Addressable Storage: SHA-1 hashing with zlib compression for blobs, trees, and commit objects stored in .gdif/objects/.
• Staging Index: Track staged files with metadata in .gdif/index.
• Branching & Checkout: Full branch creation, switching, and checkout tracking via .gdif/refs/heads/ and .gdif/HEAD.
• Ignore Rules: Support for .gdifignore files (plus default ignore rules for .gdif, .git, and node_modules).
• Unified Diff: Built-in line diffing comparing working tree with index or index with HEAD.
• Commit History: Traversal of commit history with author, timestamps, and oneline options.

Installation & Setup

npm install

Optionally link globally:

npm link

Available Commands

| Command | Description | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | init [directory] | Initialize an empty repository | gdif init | | status | Show working tree and staging area status | gdif status | | add <pathspecs...> | Stage file(s) or directories | gdif add . or gdif add file.txt | | commit -m <msg> | Commit staged changes | gdif commit -m "feat: initial commit" | | diff [file] | View diffs between working tree and staging | gdif diff or gdif diff --staged | | log [--oneline] [-n <N>] | Display commit log | gdif log --oneline | | branch [name] | List or create branches | gdif branch feature-1 | | checkout <target> | Switch to branch or commit | gdif checkout feature-1 | | restore <pathspecs...> | Discard changes or unstage | gdif restore file.txt or gdif restore --staged file.txt | | serve | Start HTTP server for remote sync | gdif serve --port 3000 | | clone <url> [dir] | Clone remote repository | gdif clone http://device-ip:3000 | | remote add <name> <url>| Add remote repo | gdif remote add origin http://device-ip:3000 | | pull <remote> <branch> | Fetch and integrate remote changes | gdif pull origin main | | push <remote> <branch> | Push local changes to remote | gdif push origin main |

Remote Syncing (including Android)

You can sync your repository across devices over your local network using the built-in HTTP server.

On the Host Device (e.g., your Android phone using Termux or another PC):

gdif serve --port 3000

On the Client Device:

# Clone the repository
gdif clone http://<host-device-ip>:3000 my-project

# Or add a remote to an existing repo
gdif remote add origin http://<host-device-ip>:3000
gdif pull origin main
gdif push origin main

Running Tests

npm test