Diffplus

1.4.0 verified Sat May 09 auth: no python

Diffplus is a Python library for computing incremental and contextual diffs between two indented configurations (e.g., YAML, INI, or any indented text). Version 1.4.0, last updated in 2025. Release cadence is irregular (major versions every few months). It supports Python >=3.8 and is designed to produce structured diff output highlighting additions, deletions, and context.

pip install diffplus

Common errors

error AttributeError: module 'diffplus' has no attribute 'diff_indented' ↓

cause Function renamed in v1.0.0.

fix

Use diff_texts instead: from diffplus import diff_texts

error TypeError: diff_texts() got an unexpected keyword argument 'context' ↓

cause Parameter name changed from 'context' to 'context_lines' in v1.0.0.

fix

Use context_lines instead: diff_texts(..., context_lines=2)

error ValueError: Input text is not properly indented ↓

cause Inconsistent indentation (e.g., mixed tabs and spaces) or empty input.

fix

Ensure both inputs use consistent indentation (spaces only) and are not empty.

Warnings

gotcha The library assumes input text has consistent indentation (spaces only). Mixing tabs and spaces may produce incorrect diffs. ↓

fix Preprocess inputs to replace tabs with spaces before calling diff_texts.

gotcha The 'context_lines' parameter can cause unexpected output if set too high. Default is 3; for large files, consider reducing to 1 or 0. ↓

fix Explicitly set context_lines for your use case, e.g., diff_texts(..., context_lines=1).

deprecated Function 'diff_indented' has been renamed to 'diff_texts' in v1.0.0. ↓

fix Use 'from diffplus import diff_texts' instead of 'from diffplus import diff_indented'.

Imports

diff_texts
```
from diffplus import diff_texts
```
DiffResult
wrong
```
from diffplus.models import DiffResult
```
correct
```
from diffplus import DiffResult
```
DiffResult is exported from top-level module, not a subpackage.

Quickstart

Basic usage: diff two indented text strings and print the result.

from diffplus import diff_texts

text_a = """
parent:
  child1: value1
  child2: value2
"""

text_b = """
parent:
  child1: modified_value1
  child3: value3
"""

diff_result = diff_texts(text_a, text_b, context_lines=2)
print(diff_result)
# Optional: access structured changes
for change in diff_result.changes:
    print(change.line, change.type)