What does the output of the 'diff' command display?

The output of the diff command displays the differences between two files line by line. It indicates which lines need to be changed, added, or deleted to make the files identical.

For example, if you run:

diff file1.txt file2.txt

You might see output like:

1c1
< The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
---
> The quick brown lynx jumps over the lazy dog

This output means:

• 1c1 indicates that line 1 in the first file needs to be changed (c) to match line 1 in the second file.
• The line prefixed with < shows content from the first file.
• The line prefixed with > shows content from the second file.
• The three dashes --- separate the two differing lines.

Different options can modify the output format, such as showing differences side by side or in a unified format.