diff-jars − output the differences between two JAR files
diff-jars JAR1 JAR2
Output the differences between two JAR files.
Written by Guillaume Rousse
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JAR files are the output of the Java Archive Tool. The Java Archive Tool is a program that is part of the Java Standard Edition Software Development Kit.
The jar tool combines multiple files into a single JAR archive file. jar is a general-purpose archiving and compression tool, based on ZIP and the ZLIB compression format. However, jar was designed mainly to facilitate the packaging of Java applets or applications into a single archive. When the components of an applet or application (.class files, images and sounds) are combined into a single archive, they can be downloaded by a Java agent (like a browser) in a single HTTP transaction, rather than require a new connection for each piece. This dramatically improves download time. The jar tool also compresses files, which further improves download time. In addition, it allows individual entries in a file to be signed by the applet author so that their origins can be authenticated. The syntax for the jar tool is almost identical to the syntax for the tar(1) command. A jar archive can be used as a class path entry, whether or not it is compressed.