# Install diffstat with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Produce graph of changes introduced by a diff file. Version 1.69 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install diffstat.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:diffstat
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install diffstat
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install diffstat
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: devel/diffstat/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install diffstat
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: diffstat from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install diffstat
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: diffstat from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#diffstat
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/di/diffstat/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S diffstat
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: diffstat from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install diffstat
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: diffstat from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:diffstat
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.69
- **Source summary:** Produce graph of changes introduced by a diff file
- **Homepage:** <https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- diffstat (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.69
## Project history and usage

diffstat reads diff output and produces per-file histograms of insertions, deletions, and modifications. It is a compact review aid for large patch sets.

### Project history

Thomas E. Dickey's official history says he originally wrote diffstat in 1992, alongside rcshist, to trace changes in collections of files. He later found it most useful for summarizing source patches.

### Adoption history

The official history says broader attention arrived in early 1996 when developers on XFree86 and ncurses mailing lists started using it. It also notes Linux kernel patch-process visibility through BitKeeper-era workflows and Git's later built-in ability to generate diffstat-style summaries.

### How it is used

diffstat sits after `diff` in a pipeline and turns patch text into a size-and-shape summary. That makes it useful in email review, release notes, package deltas, and quick scans of large changes before reading detailed hunks.

### Why package nerds care

Package maintainers care about diffstat because it is one of the small classic tools that made patch exchange readable at scale. The output compresses a patch into a reviewable map: which files changed and roughly how much.

### Timeline

- 1992: Thomas E. Dickey wrote diffstat.
- 1996: XFree86 and ncurses developers began using it more visibly.
- 2002: Linux kernel BitKeeper patch workflow documentation referenced diffstat-style summaries.
- 2026: diffstat 1.69 released with compiler-warning fixes.

### Related projects

- diffstat depends culturally and practically on diff and patch workflows; Git later incorporated diffstat-style output for repository changes.

### Sources

- <https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/diffstat.html>
- <https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/CHANGES>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - diffstat - 1.67-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: diffstat from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | produces graph of changes introduced by a diff file | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
- Nix - diffstat: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/di/diffstat/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Ubuntu apt - diffstat - 1.66-1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: diffstat from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | produces graph of changes introduced by a diff file | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
- dnf - diffstat - 1.69-2.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: diffstat from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/07190dc5ae9f35ae73866675fed6d95fe6e8d9fe22c9d7cdf85862cb2ed24a4c-primary.xml.zst | A utility which provides statistics based on the output of diff | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat
- pacman - diffstat - 1.69-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: diffstat from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Display a histogram of diff changes | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat
- zypper - diffstat - 1.69-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: diffstat from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/50b07339cb64c8ed4091bdbabddadc1ff5737b090e478818a195b40d8a3292861a879139b4a3987c31109699fde9fbf4a716367ddf4eef77da75f96e3193d6ed-primary.xml.zst | Utility That Provides Statistics Based on the Output of diff | https://invisible-island.net/diffstat/
- MacPorts - diffstat: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: devel/diffstat/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/diffstat.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/diffstat.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph