If you already have a git diff and mostly want a clean browser view, SharePatch already works well as a git diff viewer.

You can paste a unified diff, upload a local `.diff` or `.patch` file, or import one from a raw URL. From there, SharePatch renders the change in a structured browser view with file navigation, side-by-side and line-by-line modes, and quick access to the raw text when you need it.

## What makes it useful as a diff viewer?

SharePatch gives you a few things that are awkward in a terminal and not always available in a raw text file:

- side-by-side and line-by-line diff modes
- a file list for jumping across changed files
- a reverse toggle for checking the diff from the opposite direction
- raw and download actions when you need the original text

If the goal is simply “open this git diff in a clean browser UI,” that is already a good fit.

## Before you start

SharePatch expects a valid unified git diff. If you need to generate one locally, two common commands are:

```
git diff main...feature-branch > changes.diff
git diff HEAD~1 HEAD > latest.diff
```

Once you have the diff text or file, open SharePatch and choose the input mode that matches where your diff already lives.

## Load your diff into SharePatch

Open SharePatch, give the diff a name, then choose the input mode that matches where it already lives.

- use **Paste** when the diff is already in your clipboard
- use **Upload and edit** when you have a local `.diff` or `.patch` file
- use **URL** when the diff already exists at a raw HTTP endpoint

The creation step is intentionally simple. The main reason to use SharePatch here is what happens after submission: the browser diff viewer.

## Review it in the browser

Once the diff opens, use the viewer the way you would use any dedicated review surface:

- jump across files from the left sidebar
- start with **Side by side** to scan the overall change
- switch to **Line by line** when you want tighter inspection
- use **Reverse** or **Raw** when you need a different reading mode

This is the part that matters most for the diff-viewer use case: SharePatch turns a raw git diff into something much easier to scan quickly in the browser.

When you need a tighter pass on the exact sequence of additions and deletions, switch to the line-by-line mode:

## When this workflow is especially useful

SharePatch works well as a git diff viewer when you are:

- reviewing generated diffs from scripts or CI jobs
- opening a `.diff` or `.patch` file without reading raw text directly
- checking a change in the browser before sending it to someone else
- sharing a clean diff view with people who are not inside the same code host

## Recommended default workflow

If you are mainly using SharePatch as a diff viewer:

- export the diff locally
- use **Upload and edit** for the smoothest local flow
- review in **Side by side** first
- switch to **Line by line** for close inspection
- share the link only if you want a second set of eyes