diff

standard UNIX utility for file comparison
CreativeWork computer_program Q300901
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

diff

Summary

diff is a computer program[1]. diff ranks in the top 7% of computer_program entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (376 views/month).[2]

Key Facts

  • diff's instance of is recorded as computer program[3].
  • diff's instance of is recorded as standard UNIX utility or command[4].
  • diff's instance of is recorded as file comparison[5].
  • diff's developer is recorded as Bell Labs[6].
  • diff's developer is recorded as Douglas McIlroy[7].
  • diff's has use is recorded as file comparison[8].
  • diff's Freebase ID is recorded as /m/0kplj[9].
  • diff's described at URL is recorded as http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/diff.html[10].
  • diff's readable file format is recorded as text file[11].
  • diff's writable file format is recorded as unified diff[12].
  • diff's topic has template is recorded as Template:diff[13].
  • diff's different from is recorded as diff[14].
  • diff's different from is recorded as GNU Diffutils[15].
  • diff's reads environment variable is recorded as LANG[16].
  • diff's reads environment variable is recorded as LC_ALL[17].
  • diff's reads environment variable is recorded as LC_CTYPE[18].
  • diff's reads environment variable is recorded as NLSPATH[19].
  • diff's reads environment variable is recorded as TZ[20].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as b[21].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as c[22].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as C[23].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as e[24].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as f[25].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as r[26].
  • diff's has command line option is recorded as u[27].

Why It Matters

diff ranks in the top 7% of computer_program entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (376 views/month).[2] diff has Wikipedia articles in 24 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[28]

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [3] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . wikidata.org.
  3. [5] . wikidata.org.
  4. [6] . wikidata.org.
  5. [7] . wikidata.org.
  6. [8] . wikidata.org.
  7. [9] . Freebase Data Dumps. wikidata.org.
  8. [10] . wikidata.org.
  9. [11] . wikidata.org.
  10. [12] . wikidata.org.
  11. [13] . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] . wikidata.org.
  13. [15] . wikidata.org.
  14. [16] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [17] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  16. [18] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [19] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [20] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [21] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [22] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  21. [23] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [24] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [25] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [26] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [27] . pubs.opengroup.org. pubs.opengroup.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [2] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [28] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). diff. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/diff
MLA “diff.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 3 May. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/diff.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_diff_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{diff}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/diff}, note = {Accessed: 2026-05-03}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): diff — https://4ort.xyz/entity/diff (retrieved 2026-05-03)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/diff · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 18d ago · Pi bot bot · 2026-05-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Instance of
    Aliases
    Instance of computer program, standard UNIX utility or command, file comparison
    Different from diff, GNU Diffutils
    + 7 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ Add commons sitelink based on QID on Commons"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.