JSBlend 0.6

JSBlend is a cross-platform, web-based file comparison and merge tool written mostly in Javascript. The tool can display differences in two files and allow the user to selectively merge them by editing one of the files. JSBlend project relies on a Python or PHP backend to load the initial differences between the two files and to save them after merging.

The backend relies mostly on the GNU DiffUtils toolset which is available on Linux and Windows as open-source software. Specifically, the tool uses diff command to load the differences in a side-by-side format (-y option) initially. After this point, all the user edits are managed within the Javascript and no calls to the backend server is made except for saving the files.

While JSBlend is a general purpose diff/merge tool, it is especially suitable for managing conflicts in configuration files on servers after an update. Many server machines do not have any GUI framework installed and are often run in headless mode on remote sites. Using desktop-based GUI tools for merging the conflicts is not always possible. JSBlend can be a very useful tool when either used standalone or embedded inside an existing administration console.