Pdiff

Pdiff is a name used in computing to refer to one or more diffing or differencing techniques and software components designed to identify changes between two inputs. There is no single canonical specification for Pdiff; rather, various projects have used the term to describe their diff or patch generation functionality. In general, Pdiff tools compute a patch or delta that can be applied to an original input to reproduce a modified version. Depending on the implementation, they may operate on text, binary data, or structured data and may employ different algorithms, such as sequence alignment, longest common subsequence, or block matching.

Pdiff outputs are typically a set of operations—insertions, deletions, or replacements—often with positional metadata and optional metadata compression. Some implementations emphasize speed and scalability to large datasets, while others focus on high patch quality or minimal patch size. Pdiff is commonly used in version control systems, data synchronization tasks, backup systems, and software deployment pipelines, where efficient transmission and application of changes is important.

Because the term is used by multiple projects, users should consult the specific documentation of the Pdiff component they intend to use to understand its input formats, patch semantics, and compatibility with other tools. In practice, Pdiff sits within the broader family of diff and patch technologies, alongside concepts like delta encoding and sequence-difference algorithms.

See also: diff, patch, delta, patching, data differencing, and sequence alignment.