cmp

cmp [options ] file1 file2

Compare file1 with file2 . Use standard input if file1 or file2 is - . See also comm and diff . The exit codes are as follows:

0	Files are identical.
1	Files are different.
2	Files are inaccessible.

Options

-l

For each difference, print the byte number in decimal and the differing bytes in octal.

-s

Work silently; print nothing, but return exit codes.

Example

Print a message if two files are the same (exit code is 0):

cmp -s old new && echo 'no changes'