Comparison
Welcome to the official documentation hub for the Comparison API, a purpose-built solution that transforms the often-tedious task of spreadsheet version control into a streamlined, developer-centric workflow. Whether you're a data analyst reconciling quarterly reports, a finance team tracking budget revisions, or a software engineer embedding diff capabilities into a larger data pipeline, this API is designed to meet you where you are and take the guesswork out of spotting changes across a wide array of spreadsheet formats. At its core, the Comparison API follows a simple yet powerful model: you provide two source files—whether they originate from Apple Numbers, a CSV/TSV export, or the ubiquitous Excel (.xlsx, .xls) suite—and the service returns a single result file that highlights every addition, deletion, and modification with crystal-clear visual cues. The emphasis on clarity is not an afterthought; each difference is annotated in a way that mirrors native spreadsheet conventions (color-coded cell backgrounds, comment bubbles, and row/column markers) so that end-users can open the result in their preferred application and instantly understand what has shifted. Beyond the basic diff, the API also preserves original formatting, formulas, and data types, ensuring that the output is not just a plain-text report but a fully functional workbook ready for further analysis or distribution. Security and performance are baked into every request: all file transfers occur over TLS 1.3, files are processed in isolated containers with strict memory limits, and results are typically returned in under a second for files up to 10 MB, scaling gracefully for larger datasets through chunked streaming. The documentation you're reading now is organized to get you up and running in minutes—starting with authentication, moving through request construction, and culminating in best‑practice patterns for error handling, pagination, and webhook integration. Throughout, you'll find code snippets in Python, JavaScript, Java, and C#, illustrating how a single line of code can trigger a full comparison, as well as a sandbox environment where you can experiment with real files without leaving your browser. By the end of this guide, you'll have a robust understanding of how to embed reliable, high‑fidelity spreadsheet comparison into any workflow, reduce manual review time, and empower stakeholders with transparent, auditable change logs— all while leveraging an API that is as secure and fast as it is easy to use.
Main Features
The Comparison API boasts an extensive feature set that addresses the most common pain points encountered when reconciling spreadsheet data across diverse platforms. First and foremost, the API supports a comprehensive list of file formats: Apple Numbers (.numbers), plain-text delimited files (CSV, TSV), legacy Excel (.xls), and modern Excel (.xlsx). This eliminates the need for pre-conversion tools, allowing you to feed the original files directly into the service. The diff engine operates at the cell level, detecting changes in values, formulas, and even formatting attributes such as font style, cell shading, and data validation rules; each variance is clearly highlighted in the resulting workbook using customizable color schemes, making it easy for non‑technical reviewers to interpret the output. For large‑scale data sets, the API offers incremental comparison mode, letting you compare only the rows that have been added or modified since a prior baseline, thereby reducing processing time and network bandwidth. Additionally, you can request a structured JSON summary of changes in addition to the visual diff file, enabling downstream automation such as triggering alerts, updating dashboards, or feeding changes into version control systems. Security features include OAuth 2.0 bearer token authentication, scoped API keys, and optional IP‑whitelisting, while data at rest is encrypted with AES‑256. The service also adheres to GDPR and CCPA compliance standards, giving you confidence when handling sensitive personal or financial information. Performance‑wise, the API is engineered for low latency; thanks to horizontal scaling and in‑memory diff algorithms, most comparisons complete in under one second for standard‑size workbooks, with support for asynchronous processing via webhooks for files exceeding 50 MB. Finally, developer experience is a top priority: comprehensive OpenAPI specifications, auto‑generated SDKs, detailed error codes, and real‑time rate‑limit headers empower you to integrate the API with minimal friction, while our sandbox console and extensive sample repository showcase best‑practice implementations for batch processing, CI/CD pipelines, and serverless functions. In short, the Comparison API delivers fast, secure, and developer‑friendly spreadsheet diff capabilities that let you spot changes with a single, simple call—no matter the format, size, or complexity of the data you're handling.
Documents
Parameters
- format: A supported output file format.
- UploadFileRequest.OperationId: This is an operation id
- UploadFileRequest.Files: These are files you need to upload them to our online services, you can prepare the data in your very own way but it must follow the standard of the html input file.
Use The Endpoint
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Send a request that includes the files and the access token Comparison API
curl -X 'POST' \ 'https://api.sheetize.cloud/comparison/to-xlsx' \ -H 'accept: text/plain' \ -H 'Authorization: Bearer TheAccessToken' \ -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \ -F 'UploadFileRequest.Files=@TheFileOne.xlsx;type=application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' \ -F 'UploadFileRequest.Files=@TheFileTwo.xlsx;type=application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' -
The service will respond with a download URL for the processed file, in this example it is:
{ "name": "", "type": "1", "size": 900000, "description": "", "linkToDownload": "/download/TheFolderName/TheFileName.xlsx", "message": "", "statusCode": 200 } -
Send a request that includes the file name and the folder name to Download API
curl -X 'GET' \ 'https://api.sheetize.cloud/download/TheFolderName/TheFileName.xlsx' \ -H 'accept: */*' \ -H 'Authorization: Bearer TheAccessToken' - You will receive the file and you can either use it or simply forward it to the next step of your workflow.
