Visual Text & Code Diff Inspector
Inspect differences between two text or code snippets with line/word comparison, contrast badges, and unified diff output.
📖 Engineering & Technical Deep-Dive Click to expand
How it works: Calculates semantic differences between two text passages, code files, or configuration blocks using an optimized Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) algorithm. Users separate the original and revised text with a simple delimiter ('---COMPARE---' or '---SPLIT---'). Supports three granular inspection modes: line-by-line comparison for code and scripts, word-by-word comparison for copy editing and prose revisions, and character-by-character comparison for hashes and identifiers. The output pane generates a standard Unified Diff format with additions marked with '+' and deletions marked with '-', while the central X-Ray pane displays distinct green (.badge-diff-add) and red (.badge-diff-del) high-contrast badges for instant visual review. Diagnostic stats display additions count, deletions count, unchanged lines, and a percentage similarity match score.
Why it matters: Verifying what changed between two versions of an API response, an updated contract clause, a modified SQL query, or a configuration file is a frequent daily task for developers, legal teams, and system administrators. Traditional diff tools either require complex command-line git setups or upload sensitive snippets to third-party web servers with unknown data retention policies. Uploading proprietary source code, production configurations, or confidential legal documents to online diff websites creates immediate compliance and security vulnerabilities. PasteXray provides a completely private, client-side visual diff workspace that processes comparisons in milliseconds while keeping your data strictly inside your local browser memory.
Security Architecture: Text comparison executes in client-side memory with zero server uploads.