How to apply `git diff` patch without Git installed?

Question

How can my client apply patch created by git diff without git installed? I have tried to use patch command but it always asks file name to patch.

Answer 1

Use

git apply patchfile

if possible.

patch -p1 < patchfile 

has potential side-effect.

git apply also handles file adds, deletes, and renames if they're described in the git diff format, which patch won't do. Finally, git apply is an "apply all or abort all" model where either everything is applied or nothing is, whereas patch can partially apply patch files, leaving your working directory in a weird state.