git-diff-view

A beautiful, browser-based git diff viewer with syntax highlighting and automatic dark/light theme detection.

Why git-diff-view?

Terminal diffs are hard to read. git-diff-view opens your diffs in a beautiful browser interface with:

• Word-level highlighting — see exactly which characters changed, not just which lines
• Automatic theme detection — seamlessly matches your system's light or dark mode
• Unified diff layout — familiar, easy-to-scan format with colored addition/deletion bars
• Multi-file support — review all your changes in a single scrollable view
• Zero configuration — works out of the box

Powered by @pierre/diffs.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Bun — install with curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
• macOS (uses native open command and theme detection)

Quick Start

# Install globally
bun install -g git-diff-view

# Install the git alias
git-diff-view install

Or with npm:

npm install -g git-diff-view
git-diff-view install

That's it. You now have a git dv command available in any repository.

Usage

As a git alias (recommended)

After installation, use git dv anywhere you'd use git diff:

git dv                  # View unstaged changes
git dv --staged         # View staged changes
git dv HEAD~1           # View last commit
git dv HEAD~3           # View last 3 commits
git dv main..feature    # Compare branches
git dv -- src/app.ts    # View changes to a specific file

Standalone commands

./index.ts install      # Install the git dv alias
./index.ts uninstall    # Remove the git dv alias
./index.ts run          # Run the diff viewer directly
./index.ts --help       # Show help

How It Works

1. git dv captures the output of git diff with your arguments
2. A local server spins up and parses the diff
3. Your browser opens to a React-powered diff viewer
4. The server automatically shuts down after 3 seconds

Uninstall

git-diff-view uninstall
bun remove -g git-diff-view

License

MIT