NAME

bsdiff — generate a patch between two binary files

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

The bsdiff utility compares oldfile to newfile and writes to patchfile a binary patch suitable for use by bspatch(1). When oldfile and newfile are two versions of an executable program, the patches produced are on average a factor of five smaller than those produced by any other binary patch tool known to the author.

The bsdiff utility uses memory equal to 17 times the size of oldfile, and requires an absolute minimum working set size of 8 times the size of oldfile.

SEE ALSO

bspatch(1)

AUTHORS

Colin Percival <cperciva@FreeBSD.org>

BUGS

The bsdiff utility does not store the hashes of oldfile or newfile in patchfile. As a result, it is possible to apply a patch to the wrong file; this will usually produce garbage. It is recommended that users of bsdiff store the hashes of oldfile and newfile and compare against them before and after applying patchfile.