dandavison

dandavison/delta

A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, grep, rg --json, and blame output

View on GitHub Website / Demo Back to listing

32.5kstars 594forks 100+contributors Rust

README.md

## Get Started

[Install it](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/installation.html) (the package is called "git-delta" in most package managers, but the executable is just `delta`) and add this to your `~/.gitconfig`:

```gitconfig
[core]
    pager = delta

[interactive]
    diffFilter = delta --color-only

[delta]
    navigate = true  # use n and N to move between diff sections
    dark = true      # or light = true, or omit for auto-detection

[merge]
    conflictStyle = zdiff3
```

Or run:

```sh
git config --global core.pager delta
git config --global interactive.diffFilter 'delta --color-only'
git config --global delta.navigate true
git config --global delta.dark true  # or `delta.light true`, or omit for auto-detection
git config --global merge.conflictStyle zdiff3
```

Delta has many features and is very customizable; please see `delta -h` (short help) or `delta --help` (full manual), or the [online user manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/).

## Features

- Language syntax highlighting with the same syntax-highlighting themes as [bat](https://github.com/sharkdp/bat#readme)
- Word-level diff highlighting using a Levenshtein edit inference algorithm
- Side-by-side view with line-wrapping
- Line numbering
- `n` and `N` keybindings to move between files in large diffs, and between diffs in `log -p` views (`--navigate`)
- Improved merge conflict display
- Improved `git blame` display (syntax highlighting; `--hyperlinks` formats commits as links to hosting provider etc. Supported hosting providers are: GitHub, GitLab, SourceHut, Codeberg)
- Syntax-highlights grep output from `rg`, `git grep`, `grep`, etc
- Support for Git's `--color-moved` feature.
- Code can be copied directly from the diff (`-/+` markers are removed by default).
- `diff-highlight` and `diff-so-fancy` emulation modes
- Commit hashes can be formatted as terminal [hyperlinks](https://gist.github.com/egmontkob/eb114294efbcd5adb1944c9f3cb5feda) to the hosting provider page (`--hyperlinks`).
  File paths can also be formatted as hyperlinks for opening in your OS.
- Stylable box/line decorations to draw attention to commit, file and hunk header sections.
- Style strings (foreground color, background color, font attributes) are supported for >20 stylable elements, using the same color/style language as git
- Handles traditional unified diff output in addition to git output
- Automatic detection of light/dark terminal background

## A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, and grep output

Code evolves, and we all spend time studying diffs. Delta aims to make this both efficient and enjoyable: it allows you to make extensive changes to the layout and styling of diffs, as well as allowing you to stay arbitrarily close to the default git/diff output.

<table align="center">
  <tr>
    <td>
      <img width=400px src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/86275526-76792100-bba1-11ea-9e78-6be9baa80b29.png" alt="image" />
      <br>
      <p align="center"><sub>delta with <code>line-numbers</code> activated</sub></p>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

<table align="center">
  <tr>
    <td>
      <img width=800px src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/87230973-412eb900-c381-11ea-8aec-cc200290bd1b.png" alt="image" />
      <br>
      <p align="center"><sub>delta with <code>side-by-side</code> and <code>line-numbers</code> activated</sub></p>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

Here's what `git show` can look like with git configured to use delta:

<br>

<table align="center">
  <tr>
    <td>
      <img width=500px style="border: 1px solid black"
           src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/81058545-a5725f80-8e9c-11ea-912e-d21954586a44.png"
           alt="image" />
    </td>
    <td>
      <img width=500px style="border: 1px solid black"
           src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/81058911-6abcf700-8e9d-11ea-93be-e212824ec03d.png"
           alt="image" />
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>
      "Dracula" theme
    </td>
    <td>
      "GitHub" theme
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

### Syntax-highlighting themes

**All the syntax-highlighting color themes that are available with [bat](https://github.com/sharkdp/bat/) are available with delta:**

<br>
<table>
  <tr>
    <td>
      <img width=400px style="border: 1px solid black"
           src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/149431273-e3ad049d-771e-4186-869d-0e57967958a6.png"
           alt="image" />
    </td>
    <td>
      <img width=400px style="border: 1px solid black"
           src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/52205/149431419-48836001-2afc-4fd0-97ad-561a69b71db7.png"
           alt="image" />
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>delta --show-syntax-themes --dark</code>
    </td>
    <td>
      <code>delta --show-syntax-themes --light</code>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

<br>

### Side-by-side view

[[User manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/side-by-side-view.html)]

```gitconfig
[delta]
    side-by-side = true
```

By default, side-by-side view has line-numbers activated, and has syntax highlighting in both the left and right panels: [[config](#side-by-side-view-1)]

Side-by-side view wraps long lines automatically:

### Line numbers

[[User manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/line-numbers.html)]

```gitconfig
[delta]
    line-numbers = true
```

### Merge conflicts

[[User manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/merge-conflicts.html)]

### Git blame

[[User manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/git-blame.html)]

### Ripgrep, git grep

[[User manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/grep.html)]

### Installation and usage

Please see the [user manual](https://dandavison.github.io/delta/) and `delta --help`.

[![Live demo by Demoshell](https://build.demoshell.com/v1/embed/badge.svg)](https://build.demoshell.com/launch?snapshot=demoshell%2Ftui%3Adelta)

### Maintainers

- [@dandavison](https://github.com/dandavison)
- [@th1000s](https://github.com/th1000s)

Repository info

Default branch: main
Latest version: 0.20.1
Created: 2019-06-24
Last activity: 2026-10-11
License: MIT
Open issues: 467
Watchers: 115

Topics

color-themes delta diff git git-delta pager rust syntax-highlighter

Contributors

dandavison

1.7k contributions

th1000s

103 contributions

dependabot-preview[bot]

59 contributions

dependabot[bot]

42 contributions

nickelc

23 contributions