Comparing Code with Diff Mode

Diff mode is a powerful feature in Noir that allows you to compare two versions of a codebase and see exactly what has changed in terms of the discovered endpoints. This can be incredibly useful for code reviews, security assessments, and for understanding the impact of a new feature.

To use diff mode, you provide a base path with the -b flag (representing the new version of the code) and a comparison path with the --diff-path flag (representing the old version).

noir -b <NEW_VERSION_PATH> --diff-path <OLD_VERSION_PATH>

Understanding the Output

The output of the diff mode will show you which endpoints have been added, removed, or changed between the two versions.

Plain Output

In the default plain text output, you will get a simple summary of the changes:

[*] ============== DIFF ==============
[I] Added: / GET
[I] Added: /update POST
[I] Removed: /secret.html GET
[I] Removed: /posts GET

JSON and YAML Output

For a more detailed and machine-readable output, you can use the JSON or YAML formats (-f json or -f yaml). This will provide a structured view of the added, removed, and changed endpoints, including their full details.

{
  "added": [
    {
      "url": "/",
      "method": "GET",
      // ... full endpoint details
    }
  ],
  "removed": [
    {
      "url": "/secret.html",
      "method": "GET",
      // ... full endpoint details
    }
  ],
  "changed": []
}

By using diff mode, you can build more efficient CI/CD pipelines. For example, you could configure a DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) tool to only scan the endpoints that have been added or modified in a new release, saving time and resources.