biodiff ☆

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Description:
Hex diff viewer using alignment algorithms from biology

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 1.2.1@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: hex-editor diff-tool bioinformatics cli rust terminal

Install: brew install biodiff

About:
Biodiff is a command-line hex diff viewer that applies bioinformatics-inspired alignment algorithms, such as Smith-Waterman and Needleman-Wunsch, to binary file comparison. It excels at finding the best alignment between files with shifted data, insertions, or deletions, making it superior to standard byte-by-byte diff tools. The tool features an interactive terminal UI for visualizing and navigating complex binary differences.

Key Features:

Implements Smith-Waterman and Needleman-Wunsch algorithms for optimal alignment
Interactive terminal user interface for visualizing hex diffs
Handles binary files with insertions, deletions, and shifted data blocks
Supports both hex and ASCII views of data

Use Cases:

Analyzing differences between binary files like firmware images or compiled executables
Reverse engineering by comparing versions of a compiled program
Debugging data corruption in binary protocols or file formats

Alternatives:

vbindiff – Standard binary viewer with simple side-by-side comparison, lacks advanced alignment algorithms
xdelta – Creates binary delta patches but is not an interactive visual diff tool
cmp – Unix utility that reports byte-by-byte differences, fails on shifted data

License: MIT

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, arm64_monterey, sonoma, ventura, monterey, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 12, 2025 6:58pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	e51da3b6