> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://radarhq.io/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Compare resources > Diff two Kubernetes resources of the same kind side-by-side - YAML diff with field-level highlighting, swap, spec-only, hide-unchanged. Compare any two Kubernetes resources of the same kind side-by-side. The classic use case: "is this staging Deployment actually identical to prod?" or "why is `api-v2` flaking when `api-v1` is healthy?" - questions you'd otherwise answer by exporting two YAMLs and running `diff` by hand. Radar compare view - side-by-side YAML diff of two Deployments with red/green field-level highlighting, A/B pills, and view-mode toggles ## Two ways to enter **From a resource detail page.** Click the **Compare** button in the action bar. A picker opens listing every other resource of the same kind. Same-namespace candidates are surfaced first (usually the one you want), with `↑↓` arrow keys and `Enter` for fast keyboard picking. **From the resource table.** Hit the **Compare ⇄** toggle in the table header. The table flips into compare mode - a leading A/B-badge column appears and a sticky tray slides up at the bottom. Click two rows, then hit **Compare** in the tray. Radar resource table in compare mode - leading A/B column, sticky bottom tray with two pick slots and a Compare button Both flows land on the same shareable URL: `/compare?kind=&apiGroup=&a=ns/name&b=ns/name` (the `apiGroup` param is only required for CRDs that collide with core kinds). ## What the diff shows Side-by-side YAML with Monaco's diff editor. Red lines on the left are present in A but missing or different in B; green lines on the right are present in B but missing or different in A. The overview ruler on the right edge gives you a bird's-eye map of where the changes are. Four header toggles, each constant-label with a highlight indicating the active state: * **Raw metadata** - off by default. Keep it off and Radar strips the server-assigned noise listed below (`uid`, `resourceVersion`, `managedFields`, `last-applied-configuration`, etc.) before computing the diff. Flip it on if you're debugging API-level oddities and actually want to see those fields. * **Spec only** - drops `status` from both sides so the diff focuses on intent, not the controller's view of current state. Useful when one resource is mid-rollout. * **Diff only** - collapses unchanged regions to a single line. The default; flip it off to see the full YAML for context. * **Unified** - switches between side-by-side (default) and a single-column layout with `+` / `-` lines. Unified packs more content per line height; side-by-side reads more like a code review. A small swap button between the pills flips A ↔ B, and the pencil icon on each pill re-opens the picker so you can change one side without losing the other. ## What's stripped before diffing K8s API responses carry a lot of server-assigned noise that always differs between two resources but doesn't reflect any meaningful difference. By default - with **Raw metadata** off - Radar strips it before computing the diff: * `metadata.managedFields` (server-side apply tracking - huge and never interesting in a compare) * `metadata.resourceVersion`, `metadata.uid`, `metadata.generation`, `metadata.creationTimestamp`, `metadata.selfLink`, `metadata.deletionGracePeriodSeconds` * `metadata.annotations.kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration` (massive duplicated JSON blob) * `metadata.annotations.deployment.kubernetes.io/revision` * `metadata.labels.pod-template-hash`, `metadata.labels.controller-revision-hash` User-defined labels, annotations, spec, and (unless you toggle Spec only) status all stay. ## Errors render per side If A loads but B 404s (a stale share-link is the typical cause), the working side still renders. The failed side's pill turns red, and a banner names exactly which side failed and what went wrong - click the pencil icon to pick a replacement without rebuilding the URL. ## Scope of v1 * **Same kind only.** Comparing a Deployment to a StatefulSet would be more confusing than useful. * **Two-way.** Cap is hard-set at 2 picks; selecting a third in the table replaces the oldest so the click always has a visible effect. * **Single cluster.** Same-cluster compare today; cross-cluster lands when Radar Hub gets multi-cluster. ## Keyboard | Action | Shortcut | | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | | Compare-mode toggle in table (header button) | *click* | | Pick / unpick a row in compare mode | Enter / d (on highlighted row) | | Exit compare mode | Esc | | In the picker: navigate candidates | ↑ / ↓ | | In the picker: pick highlighted candidate | Enter | | In the picker: jump to first / last | Home / End |