dir-compare

What is dir-compare?

The dir-compare npm package is used to compare the contents of directories. It can compare files and subdirectories, providing detailed information about differences and similarities. This package is useful for tasks such as synchronizing directories, verifying backups, and ensuring consistency between different environments.

What are dir-compare's main functionalities?

Basic Directory Comparison

This feature allows you to compare two directories. The `compareSync` method performs a synchronous comparison, and the `compareContent` option ensures that file contents are compared as well.

const dircompare = require('dir-compare');
const options = { compareContent: true };
const res = dircompare.compareSync('path/to/dir1', 'path/to/dir2', options);
console.log(res);

Asynchronous Directory Comparison

This feature allows you to perform an asynchronous comparison of two directories. The `compare` method returns a promise that resolves with the comparison result.

const dircompare = require('dir-compare');
const options = { compareContent: true };
dircompare.compare('path/to/dir1', 'path/to/dir2', options)
  .then(res => console.log(res))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

Custom Comparison Options

This feature allows you to customize the comparison process with various options. For example, you can exclude certain file types or include only specific file types in the comparison.

const dircompare = require('dir-compare');
const options = { compareContent: true, excludeFilter: '*.txt', includeFilter: '*.js' };
const res = dircompare.compareSync('path/to/dir1', 'path/to/dir2', options);
console.log(res);

Detailed Comparison Result

This feature provides detailed information about the comparison result. The `diffSet` property contains an array of differences, which you can iterate over to get detailed information about each difference.

const dircompare = require('dir-compare');
const options = { compareContent: true };
const res = dircompare.compareSync('path/to/dir1', 'path/to/dir2', options);
res.diffSet.forEach(dif => console.log(dif));

Other packages similar to dir-compare

diff

The diff package provides a way to compare text differences between two strings or files. While it is more focused on text comparison rather than directory structures, it can be used to compare file contents in a more granular way.

fs-extra

The fs-extra package extends the native Node.js fs module with additional methods, including methods for copying, moving, and removing directories. While it does not provide direct comparison features, it can be used in conjunction with other tools to manage directory contents.

rsyncwrapper

The rsyncwrapper package is a Node.js wrapper for the rsync command-line utility. It can be used to synchronize directories and files between different locations. While it focuses on synchronization rather than comparison, it can be used to achieve similar goals.

README

dir-compare

Node JS directory compare

Installation

$ npm install dir-compare -g

Usage

var utils = require('util');
var dircompare = require('dir-compare');
var res = dircompare.compareSync(path1, path2, {compareSize: true});
console.log('equal: ' + res.equal);
console.log('distinct: ' + res.distinct);
console.log('left: ' + res.left);
console.log('right: ' + res.right);
console.log('differences: ' + res.differences);
console.log('same: ' + res.same);
res.diffSet.forEach(function (entry) {
    var state = {
        'equal' : '==',
        'left' : '->',
        'right' : '<-',
        'distinct' : '<>'
    }[entry.state];
    var name1 = entry.name1 ? entry.name1 : '';
    var name2 = entry.name2 ? entry.name2 : '';
    console.log(utils.format('%s(%s)%s%s(%s)', name1, entry.type1, state, name2, entry.type2));
});

Options:

• compareSize: true/false - compares files by size
• compareContent: true/false - compares files by content
• skipSubdirs: true/false - skips sub directories
• skipSymlinks: true/false - skips symbolic links
• ignoreCase: true/false - ignores case when comparing names.
• includeFilter: file name filter
• excludeFilter: file/directory name exclude filter

Result:

• distinct: number of distinct entries
• equal: number of equal entries
• left: number of entries only in path1
• right: number of entries only in path2
• differences: total number of differences (distinct+left+right)
• same: true if directories are identical
• diffSet - List of changes

•  path1: absolute path not including file/directory name,
  

•  path2: absolute path not including file/directory name,
  

•  relativePath: common path relative to root,
  

•  name1: file/directory name
  

•  name2: file/directory name
  

•  state: one of equal, left, right, distinct,
  

•  type1: one of missing, file, directory
  

•  type2: one of missing, file, directory
  

•  size1: file size
  

•  size2: file size
  

•  date1: modification date (stat.mdate)
  

•  date2: modification date (stat.mdate)
  

•  level: depth
  

Command line

  Usage: dircompare [options] leftdir rightdir

  Options:

    -h, --help             output usage information
    -V, --version          output the version number
    -c, --compare-content  compare files by content
    -f, --filter [type]    file name filter
    -x, --exclude [type]   file/directory name exclude filter
    -S, --skip-subdirs     do not recurse into subdirectories
    -L, --skip-symlinks    do not follow symlinks
    -i, --ignore-case      ignores case when comparing file names
    -l, --show-left        report - show entries occurring in leftdir
    -r, --show-right       report - show entries occurring in rightdir
    -e, --show-equal       report - show identic entries occuring in both dirs
    -d, --show-distinct    report - show distinct entries occuring in both dirs
    -a, --show-all         report - show all entries
    -w, --whole-report     report - include directories in detailed report
    --csv                  report - print details as csv
    --nocolors             don't use console colors

  By default files are compared by size.

  Exit codes:
    0 - entries are identical
    1 - entries are different
    2 - error occurred

  Examples:
    compare by content - dircompare -c dir1 dir2
    exclude filter - dircompare -x .git dir1 dir2
    include filter - dircompare -f *.js,*.yml dir1 dir2
    show only different files - dircompare -d dir1 dir2