Cheat Sheet #day60 - cmp

cmp Command Cheatsheet

The cmp command in Unix-like systems is used to compare two files byte by byte. It is useful for finding the first difference between two files. Here’s a quick reference guide:

Basic Syntax

cmp [OPTION]... FILE1 FILE2

Common Options

• -b, --print-bytes: Output differing bytes in decimal format.

    cmp -b file1.txt file2.txt
  

• -i POS, --ignore-initial=POS: Ignore the first POS bytes of each file.

    cmp -i 10 file1.txt file2.txt
  

• -l, --line-by-line: Output the byte number and the differing bytes.

    cmp -l file1.txt file2.txt
  

• -s, --silent, --quiet: Suppress all output, only return exit status.

    cmp -s file1.txt file2.txt
  

• -v, --verbose: Output a message when files differ.

    cmp -v file1.txt file2.txt
  

Examples

1. Compare two files and print the first difference:

    cmp file1.txt file2.txt
   

2. Compare files byte by byte and print differing bytes in decimal format:

    cmp -b file1.txt file2.txt
   

3. Ignore the first 10 bytes and compare the rest of the files:

    cmp -i 10 file1.txt file2.txt
   

4. Output the byte number and differing bytes:

    cmp -l file1.txt file2.txt
   

5. Silent comparison, only return exit status:

    cmp -s file1.txt file2.txt
   

6. Verbose output when files differ:

    cmp -v file1.txt file2.txt
   

Additional Information

• Help option:

    cmp --help
  

• View cmp manual page:

    man cmp
  

This cheatsheet covers the essential options and usage scenarios for the cmp command. For more detailed information, refer to the man page or use cmp --help.