How to get diff working like git-diff?

Question

I like the output formatting of git diff. The color and the +/- representation of changes between lines is easier to read than GNU di

Answer 1

1. Install colordiff.

2. Update your ~/.colordiffrc (copying /etc/colordiffrc first, if necessary):

   # be more git-like:
   plain=off
   newtext=darkgreen
   oldtext=darkred
   diffstuff=darkcyan
   

3. Use colordiff -u file1 file2 for two files or colordiff -ruN path1 path2 for recursively comparing paths.

It's not exactly the same, but it's very close.