/var/lang/lib/node_modules/npm/man/man1
This explorer reads the filesystem of the server it runs on, so /workspace/user isn't present here. Browsing and the terminal still work against this server's own disk from /.
.TH "NPM-DIFF" "1" "February 2026" "NPM@11.11.0" "".SH "NAME"\fBnpm-diff\fR - The registry diff command.SS "Synopsis".P.RS 2.nfnpm diff \[lB]...<paths>\[rB].fi.RE.SS "Description".PSimilar to its \fBgit diff\fR counterpart, this command will print diff patches of files for packages published to the npm registry..RS 0.IP \(bu 4\fBnpm diff --diff=<spec-a> --diff=<spec-b>\fR.PCompares two package versions using their registry specifiers, e.g: \fBnpm diff --diff=pkg@1.0.0 --diff=pkg@^2.0.0\fR. It's also possible to compare across forks of any package, e.g: \fBnpm diff --diff=pkg@1.0.0 --diff=pkg-fork@1.0.0\fR..PAny valid spec can be used, so that it's also possible to compare directories or git repositories, e.g: \fBnpm diff --diff=pkg@latest --diff=./packages/pkg\fR.PHere's an example comparing two different versions of a package named \fBabbrev\fR from the registry:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=abbrev@1.1.0 --diff=abbrev@1.1.1.fi.RE.POn success, output looks like:.P.RS 2.nfdiff --git a/package.json b/package.jsonindex v1.1.0..v1.1.1 100644--- a/package.json+++ b/package.json@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ { "name": "abbrev",- "version": "1.1.0",+ "version": "1.1.1", "description": "Like ruby's abbrev module, but in js", "author": "Isaac Z. Schlueter <i@izs.me>", "main": "abbrev.js",.fi.RE.PGiven the flexible nature of npm specs, you can also target local directories or git repos just like when using \fBnpm install\fR:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=https://github.com/npm/libnpmdiff --diff=./local-path.fi.RE.PIn the example above we can compare the contents from the package installed from the git repo at \fBgithub.com/npm/libnpmdiff\fR with the contents of the \fB./local-path\fR that contains a valid package, such as a modified copy of the original..IP \(bu 4\fBnpm diff\fR (in a package directory, no arguments):.PIf the package is published to the registry, \fBnpm diff\fR will fetch the tarball version tagged as \fBlatest\fR (this value can be configured using the \fBtag\fR option) and proceed to compare the contents of files present in that tarball, with the current files in your local file system..PThis workflow provides a handy way for package authors to see what package-tracked files have been changed in comparison with the latest published version of that package..IP \(bu 4\fBnpm diff --diff=<pkg-name>\fR (in a package directory):.PWhen using a single package name (with no version or tag specifier) as an argument, \fBnpm diff\fR will work in a similar way to \fB\[rs]fBnpm-outdated\[rs]fR\fR \fI\(lanpm-outdated\(ra\fR and reach for the registry to figure out what current published version of the package named \fB<pkg-name>\fR will satisfy its dependent declared semver-range. Once that specific version is known \fBnpm diff\fR will print diff patches comparing the current version of \fB<pkg-name>\fR found in the local file system with that specific version returned by the registry..PGiven a package named \fBabbrev\fR that is currently installed:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=abbrev.fi.RE.PThat will request from the registry its most up to date version and will print a diff output comparing the currently installed version to this newer one if the version numbers are not the same..IP \(bu 4\fBnpm diff --diff=<spec-a>\fR (in a package directory):.PSimilar to using only a single package name, it's also possible to declare a full registry specifier version if you wish to compare the local version of an installed package with the specific version/tag/semver-range provided in \fB<spec-a>\fR..PAn example: assuming \fBpkg@1.0.0\fR is installed in the current \fBnode_modules\fR folder, running:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=pkg@2.0.0.fi.RE.PIt will effectively be an alias to \fBnpm diff --diff=pkg@1.0.0 --diff=pkg@2.0.0\fR..IP \(bu 4\fBnpm diff --diff=<semver-a> \[lB]--diff=<semver-b>\[rB]\fR (in a package directory):.PUsing \fBnpm diff\fR along with semver-valid version numbers is a shorthand to compare different versions of the current package..PIt needs to be run from a package directory, such that for a package named \fBpkg\fR running \fBnpm diff --diff=1.0.0 --diff=1.0.1\fR is the same as running \fBnpm diff --diff=pkg@1.0.0 --diff=pkg@1.0.1\fR..PIf only a single argument \fB<version-a>\fR is provided, then the current local file system is going to be compared against that version..PHere's an example comparing two specific versions (published to the configured registry) of the current project directory:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=1.0.0 --diff=1.1.0.fi.RE.RE 0 .PNote that tag names are not valid \fB--diff\fR argument values, if you wish to compare to a published tag, you must use the \fBpkg@tagname\fR syntax..SS "Filtering files".PIt's possible to also specify positional arguments using file names or globs pattern matching in order to limit the result of diff patches to only a subset of files for a given package, e.g:.P.RS 2.nfnpm diff --diff=pkg@2 ./lib/ CHANGELOG.md.fi.RE.PIn the example above the diff output is only going to print contents of files located within the folder \fB./lib/\fR and changed lines of code within the \fBCHANGELOG.md\fR file..SS "Configuration".SS "\fBdiff\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default:.IP \(bu 4Type: String (can be set multiple times).RE 0 .PDefine arguments to compare in \fBnpm diff\fR..SS "\fBdiff-name-only\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .PPrints only filenames when using \fBnpm diff\fR..SS "\fBdiff-unified\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: 3.IP \(bu 4Type: Number.RE 0 .PThe number of lines of context to print in \fBnpm diff\fR..SS "\fBdiff-ignore-all-space\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .PIgnore whitespace when comparing lines in \fBnpm diff\fR..SS "\fBdiff-no-prefix\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .PDo not show any source or destination prefix in \fBnpm diff\fR output..PNote: this causes \fBnpm diff\fR to ignore the \fB--diff-src-prefix\fR and \fB--diff-dst-prefix\fR configs..SS "\fBdiff-src-prefix\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: "a/".IP \(bu 4Type: String.RE 0 .PSource prefix to be used in \fBnpm diff\fR output..SS "\fBdiff-dst-prefix\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: "b/".IP \(bu 4Type: String.RE 0 .PDestination prefix to be used in \fBnpm diff\fR output..SS "\fBdiff-text\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .PTreat all files as text in \fBnpm diff\fR..SS "\fBglobal\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .POperates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the \fBprefix\fR folder instead of the current working directory. See npm help folders for more on the differences in behavior..RS 0.IP \(bu 4packages are installed into the \fB{prefix}/lib/node_modules\fR folder, instead of the current working directory..IP \(bu 4bin files are linked to \fB{prefix}/bin\fR.IP \(bu 4man pages are linked to \fB{prefix}/share/man\fR.RE 0 .SS "\fBtag\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: "latest".IP \(bu 4Type: String.RE 0 .PIf you ask npm to install a package and don't tell it a specific version, then it will install the specified tag..PIt is the tag added to the package@version specified in the \fBnpm dist-tagadd\fR command, if no explicit tag is given..PWhen used by the \fBnpm diff\fR command, this is the tag used to fetch the tarball that will be compared with the local files by default..PIf used in the \fBnpm publish\fR command, this is the tag that will be added to the package submitted to the registry..SS "\fBworkspace\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default:.IP \(bu 4Type: String (can be set multiple times).RE 0 .PEnable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option..PValid values for the \fBworkspace\fR config are either:.RS 0.IP \(bu 4Workspace names.IP \(bu 4Path to a workspace directory.IP \(bu 4Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all workspaces within that folder).RE 0 .PWhen set for the \fBnpm init\fR command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project..PThis value is not exported to the environment for child processes..SS "\fBworkspaces\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: null.IP \(bu 4Type: null or Boolean.RE 0 .PSet to true to run the command in the context of \fBall\fR configured workspaces..PExplicitly setting this to false will cause commands like \fBinstall\fR to ignore workspaces altogether. When not set explicitly:.RS 0.IP \(bu 4Commands that operate on the \fBnode_modules\fR tree (install, update, etc.) will link workspaces into the \fBnode_modules\fR folder. - Commands that do other things (test, exec, publish, etc.) will operate on the root project, \fIunless\fR one or more workspaces are specified in the \fBworkspace\fR config..RE 0 .PThis value is not exported to the environment for child processes..SS "\fBinclude-workspace-root\fR".RS 0.IP \(bu 4Default: false.IP \(bu 4Type: Boolean.RE 0 .PInclude the workspace root when workspaces are enabled for a command..PWhen false, specifying individual workspaces via the \fBworkspace\fR config, or all workspaces via the \fBworkspaces\fR flag, will cause npm to operate only on the specified workspaces, and not on the root project..PThis value is not exported to the environment for child processes..SH "SEE ALSO".RS 0.IP \(bu 4npm help outdated.IP \(bu 4npm help install.IP \(bu 4npm help config.IP \(bu 4npm help registry.RE 0