DeployDiff

Compare local files against deployed remote versions and sync changes in either direction — the IntelliJ-style deployment diff experience, inside VS Code.

Features

• Compare with Deployed Version — Open VS Code's built-in diff editor to see line-level differences between any local file and its deployed counterpart.
• Diff Sessions in Explorer — View all active compares right inside the File Explorer sidebar, switch between diffs with a click, and remove sessions when you're done.
• Save All — Batch-save unsaved changes across every open diff session in one action, for both local and remote documents.
• Bidirectional sync — Swap the diff sides and use VS Code's native Revert Block to push changes in either direction. A status bar indicator always shows which side is local and which is remote.
• Writable remote pane — Edit the remote side directly in the diff editor; saving writes back to the server.
• Upload / Download for files and directories — Explicit one-click sync commands from the explorer or editor context menu with conflict detection. Directory sync works recursively. Supports multi-select in the Explorer.
• FTP and SFTP transports — FTP supports password auth plus explicit or implicit FTPS options, and SFTP supports password or private-key auth. Passwords are stored in VS Code Secret Storage per workspace, never in settings files.
• Multiple mappings — Map several local directories to different remote roots within the same workspace.
• Output logging for troubleshooting — Remote compare/sync operations write detailed diagnostics to the DeployDiff output channel, with quick access from error toasts.
• Actionable errors — Missing configuration? Error toasts include quick-fix buttons like "Open Settings", "Set Password", or "Show Logs".

Quick Start

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Open your workspace settings and configure deploydiff.transport explicitly as ftp or sftp, plus one or more deployment mappings.

FTP example:

{
  "deploydiff.transport": "ftp",
  "deploydiff.mappings": [
    {
      "name": "app-src",
      "localPath": "src",
      "remotePath": "/var/www/app/src"
    },
    {
      "name": "app-assets",
      "localPath": "public",
      "remotePath": "/var/www/app/public"
    }
  ],
  "deploydiff.ftp.host": "example.com",
  "deploydiff.ftp.port": 21,
  "deploydiff.ftp.username": "deploy",
  "deploydiff.ftp.securityMode": "implicit",
  "deploydiff.ftp.passiveModeStrategy": "ignorePasvAddress",
  "deploydiff.ftp.timeoutMs": 10000
}

SFTP example:

{
  "deploydiff.transport": "sftp",
  "deploydiff.mappings": [
    {
      "name": "backend-src",
      "localPath": "packages/backend/src",
      "remotePath": "/srv/backend/src"
    },
    {
      "name": "frontend-dist",
      "localPath": "packages/frontend/dist",
      "remotePath": "/srv/frontend/dist"
    }
  ],
  "deploydiff.sftp.host": "example.com",
  "deploydiff.sftp.port": 22,
  "deploydiff.sftp.username": "deploy",
  "deploydiff.sftp.privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_ed25519"
}

3. For FTP password auth, run DeployDiff: Set FTP Password. For SFTP password auth, run DeployDiff: Set SFTP Password if you are not using deploydiff.sftp.privateKeyPath.
4. Right-click a file in the Explorer → Compare with Deployed Version. You can also select multiple files and compare them all at once.
5. To sync directly, right-click a file or directory and use Upload to Remote or Download from Remote. Multi-select is supported for both actions.
6. Look at the DeployDiff section at the bottom of the File Explorer to see all active diff sessions, switch between them, or click Save All to persist every unsaved change in one go. You can also drag files or entire directories from the Explorer straight into the DeployDiff list to compare them instantly — dropping a directory recursively opens every file inside it.
7. If a compare or sync fails, use DeployDiff: Show Output Logs or the toast action to inspect the detailed log output.
8. In the diff editor, use the swap button (↔) to flip sides, then Revert Block to push changes left or right. The status bar shows the current direction.

Commands

Configuration

Security

• FTP and SFTP passwords are stored in VS Code Secret Storage per workspace, never written to settings files. Each workspace has its own isolated password entry, so multiple projects never overwrite each other's credentials.
• Private key authentication is supported via deploydiff.sftp.privateKeyPath.
• All remote writes require explicit user action — compare is always read-only.
• When an operation fails, open DeployDiff: Show Output Logs to inspect the recorded remote path, command flow, and error details.

FTP notes:

• deploydiff.ftp.securityMode = implicit enables legacy implicit FTPS for servers that do not support explicit TLS negotiation.
• DeployDiff uses passive FTP transfers. deploydiff.ftp.passiveModeStrategy = ignorePasvAddress forces the data connection to reuse the control host IP, which helps with some NAT or misconfigured server setups.

Directory sync notes:

• Upload to Remote supports directories and uploads them recursively, creating remote directories as needed.
• Download from Remote supports directories and downloads them recursively, creating local directories as needed.
• Directory download is additive: it pulls remote files and folders into the local directory tree, but does not delete extra local files.

Development

npm install
npm run build
npm run lint
npm test
npm run package

License

MIT