NAME

       knife-diff - The man page for the knife diff subcommand.

       The  knife  diff  subcommand is used to compare the differences between files and directories on the Chef
       server and in the chef-repo. For example, to compare files on the Chef server prior to  an  uploading  or
       downloading  files using the knife download and knife upload subcommands, or to ensure that certain files
       in multiple production environments are the same. This subcommand is similar to the git diff command that
       can be used to diff what is in the chef-repo with what is synced to a git repository.

       Syntax

       This subcommand has the following syntax:

          $ knife diff [PATTERN...] (options)

       Options

       This subcommand has the following options:

       -c CONFIG_FILE, --config CONFIG_FILE
              The configuration file to use.

       --chef-repo-path PATH
              The path to the chef-repo. This setting will override the default path to the chef-repo.  Default:
              same as specified by chef_repo_path in config.rb.

       --chef-zero-port PORT
              The port on which chef-zero will listen.

       --[no-]color
              Use to view colored output.

       --cookbook-version VERSION
              The version of a cookbook to be downloaded.

       --concurrency
              The number of allowed concurrent connections. Default: 10.

       -d, --disable-editing
              Use to prevent the $EDITOR from being opened and to accept data as-is.

       --defaults
              Use to have knife use the default value instead of asking a user to provide one.

       --diff-filter=[(A|D|M|T)...[*]]
              Use  to  select  only  files  that have been added (A), deleted (D), modified (M), and/or have had
              their type changed (T). Any combination of filter characters may  be  used,  including  no  filter
              characters.  Use * to select all paths if a file matches other criteria in the comparison. Default
              value: nil.

       -e EDITOR, --editor EDITOR
              The $EDITOR that is used for all interactive commands.

       -E ENVIRONMENT, --environment ENVIRONMENT
              The name of the environment. When this option is added to a command, the  command  will  run  only
              against the named environment.

       -F FORMAT, --format FORMAT
              The output format: summary (default), text, json, yaml, and pp.

       -h, --help
              Shows help for the command.

       -k KEY, --key KEY
              The private key that knife will use to sign requests made by the API client to the Chef server.

       --name-only
              Use to show only the names of modified files.

       --name-status
              Use to show only the names of files with a status of Added, Deleted, Modified, or Type Changed.

       --no-recurse
              Use --no-recurse to disable listing a directory recursively. Default: --recurse.

       --print-after
              Use to show data after a destructive operation.

       --repo-mode MODE
              The  layout of the local chef-repo. Possible values: static, everything, or hosted_everything. Use
              static for just roles,  environments,  cookbooks,  and  data  bags.  By  default,  everything  and
              hosted_everything  are  dynamically  selected  depending on the server type. Default: everything /
              hosted_everything.

       -s URL, --server-url URL
              The URL for the Chef server.

       -u USER, --user USER
              The user name used by knife to  sign  requests  made  by  the  API  client  to  the  Chef  server.
              Authentication will fail if the user name does not match the private key.

       -v, --version
              The version of the chef-client.

       -V, --verbose
              Set for more verbose outputs. Use -VV for maximum verbosity.

       -y, --yes
              Use to respond to all confirmation prompts with "Yes". knife will not ask for confirmation.

       -z, --local-mode
              Use  to  run  the  chef-client  in local mode. This allows all commands that work against the Chef
              server to also work against the local chef-repo.

       knife.rb File Settings

       In addition to the default settings in a knife.rb file, there are other subcommand-specific settings that
       can be added. When a subcommand is run, knife will use:

       1. A value passed via the command-line

       2. A value contained in the knife.rb file

       3. The default value

       A value passed via the command line will override a value in the knife.rb file; a  value  in  a  knife.rb
       file will override a default value.

       The following knife diff settings can be added to the knife.rb file:

       knife[:chef_repo_path]
              Use to add the --chef-repo-path option.

       knife[:concurrency]
              Use to add the --concurrency option.

       knife[:name_only]
              Use to add the --name-only option.

       knife[:name_status]
              Use to add the --name-status option.

       knife[:recurse]
              Use to add the --recurse option.

       knife[:repo_mode]
              Use to add the --repo-mode option.

       Examples

       To compare the base.json role to a webserver.json role, enter:

          $ knife diff roles/base.json roles/webserver.json

       To compare the differences between the local chef-repo and the files that are on the Chef server, enter:

          $ knife diff

       To  diff  a  node  named  node-lb  and then only return files that have been added, deleted, modified, or
       changed, enter:

          $ knife diff --name-status node-lb

       to return something like:

          node-lb/recipes/eip.rb
          node-lb/recipes/heartbeat-int.rb
          node-lb/templates/default/corpsite.conf.erb
          node-lb/files/default/wildcard.node.com.crt
          node-lb/files/default/wildcard.node.com.crt-2009
          node-lb/files/default/wildcard.node.com.key
          node-lb/.gitignore
          node-lb/Rakefile

AUTHOR

       Chef

                                                    Chef 12.0                                      KNIFE-DIFF(1)