Text and processing

The cmp command

Compares two files byte by byte and says exactly at which byte and line they differ.

Syntax

cmp archivo1 archivo2

Most useful options

-sSilent: only returns the exit code
-lShows every difference

Copy-ready examples

$ printf 'a\n' > x.txt && cmp x.txt x.txtCompare (no output if equal)

You can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.

Typical mistakes

  • cmp prints nothing if the files are identical; that means they are fine.

Related commands

diffmd5sumsha256sum

FAQ

cmp or diff?

cmp is to know whether they are equal and where; diff to see readable differences.

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