diff --git a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapChunk.java b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapChunk.java
index 3c6cf71..d467913 100644
--- a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapChunk.java
+++ b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapChunk.java
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 package xyz.nucleoid.map_templates;
 
 import com.mojang.serialization.Codec;
+
+import java.io.DataOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import net.minecraft.block.Block;
 import net.minecraft.block.BlockState;
 import net.minecraft.block.Blocks;
@@ -9,8 +14,11 @@
 import net.minecraft.util.math.ChunkSectionPos;
 import net.minecraft.util.math.Vec3d;
 import net.minecraft.world.chunk.PalettedContainer;
+import org.apache.commons.codec.digest.Blake3;
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 
 public final class MapChunk {
@@ -18,6 +26,17 @@ public final class MapChunk {
 
     private final ChunkSectionPos pos;
 
+    /**
+     * BLAKE3 hash of the block states in this chunk section
+     */
+    private final byte[] blockStatesHash = new byte[32];
+
+    /**
+     * Whether the above hash represents currently-stored block data.
+     */
+    private boolean blockStatesHashDirty = true;
+
+
     private PalettedContainer<BlockState> container = new PalettedContainer<>(Block.STATE_IDS, Blocks.AIR.getDefaultState(), PalettedContainer.PaletteProvider.BLOCK_STATE);
     private final List<MapEntity> entities = new ArrayList<>();
 
@@ -26,6 +45,7 @@ public final class MapChunk {
     }
 
     public void set(int x, int y, int z, BlockState state) {
+        this.blockStatesHashDirty = true;
         this.container.set(x, y, z, state);
     }
 
@@ -66,7 +86,8 @@ public List<MapEntity> getEntities() {
     }
 
     public void serialize(NbtCompound nbt) {
-        nbt.put("block_states", BLOCK_CODEC.encodeStart(NbtOps.INSTANCE, this.container).getOrThrow(false, (e) -> {}));
+        var blockStatesNbt = BLOCK_CODEC.encodeStart(NbtOps.INSTANCE, this.container).getOrThrow(false, (e) -> {});
+        nbt.put("block_states", blockStatesNbt);
 
         if (!this.entities.isEmpty()) {
             var entitiesNbt = new NbtList();
@@ -79,12 +100,11 @@ public void serialize(NbtCompound nbt) {
 
     public static MapChunk deserialize(ChunkSectionPos pos, NbtCompound nbt) {
         var chunk = new MapChunk(pos);
+        var blockStatesNbt = nbt.getCompound("block_states");
         var container = BLOCK_CODEC.parse(NbtOps.INSTANCE, nbt.getCompound("block_states"))
                 .promotePartial(errorMessage -> {}).get().left();
 
-        if (container.isPresent()) {
-            chunk.container = container.get();
-        }
+        container.ifPresent(blockStatePalettedContainer -> chunk.container = blockStatePalettedContainer);
 
         if (nbt.contains("entities", NbtElement.LIST_TYPE)) {
             var entitiesNbt = nbt.getList("entities", NbtElement.COMPOUND_TYPE);
@@ -95,4 +115,65 @@ public static MapChunk deserialize(ChunkSectionPos pos, NbtCompound nbt) {
 
         return chunk;
     }
+
+    private NbtElement serializeBlockStates() {
+        return BLOCK_CODEC.encodeStart(NbtOps.INSTANCE, this.container).getOrThrow(false, (e) -> {});
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Recompute the hash if it is dirty.
+     */
+    private void recomputeHash() {
+        if (this.blockStatesHashDirty) {
+            try {
+                var md = Blake3.initHash();
+
+                this.serializeBlockStates().write(new DataOutputStream(new OutputStream() {
+                    private ByteBuffer tmpBuffer;
+                    @Override
+                    public void write(int i) {
+                        if (tmpBuffer == null) {
+                            tmpBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(4);
+                        } else {
+                            tmpBuffer.clear();
+                        }
+
+                        tmpBuffer.putInt(i);
+                        md.update(tmpBuffer.array());
+                    }
+
+                    @Override
+                    public void write(byte @NotNull [] bytes, int off, int len) {
+                        md.update(bytes, off, len);
+                    }
+                }));
+
+                md.doFinalize(this.blockStatesHash, 0, 32);
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                // Unreachable
+                throw new RuntimeException(e);
+            }
+
+            this.blockStatesHashDirty = false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object obj) {
+        if (this == obj) {
+            return true;
+        } else if (!(obj instanceof MapChunk)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        MapChunk other = (MapChunk) obj;
+
+        if (!this.pos.equals(other.pos)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        this.recomputeHash();
+        other.recomputeHash();
+        return Arrays.equals(this.blockStatesHash, other.blockStatesHash);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplate.java b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplate.java
index e3476e5..965a093 100644
--- a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplate.java
+++ b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplate.java
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package xyz.nucleoid.map_templates;
 
-import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.Long2ObjectMap;
-import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.Long2ObjectMaps;
-import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.Long2ObjectOpenHashMap;
+import it.unimi.dsi.fastutil.longs.*;
 import net.minecraft.block.BlockState;
 import net.minecraft.block.Blocks;
 import net.minecraft.block.entity.BlockEntity;
@@ -13,10 +11,7 @@
 import net.minecraft.util.BlockMirror;
 import net.minecraft.util.BlockRotation;
 import net.minecraft.util.Identifier;
-import net.minecraft.util.math.BlockPos;
-import net.minecraft.util.math.ChunkSectionPos;
-import net.minecraft.util.math.MathHelper;
-import net.minecraft.util.math.Vec3d;
+import net.minecraft.util.math.*;
 import net.minecraft.world.Heightmap;
 import net.minecraft.world.biome.Biome;
 import net.minecraft.world.biome.BiomeKeys;
@@ -366,6 +361,45 @@ public static MapTemplate merged(MapTemplate primary, MapTemplate secondary) {
         return result;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * All the aspects in which two map templates differ.
+     *
+     * @param dataChanged whether the metadata has changed
+     * @param chunksChanged whether the chunks and blocks of the template has changed
+     * @param biomeChanged whether the biome of the template has changed
+     * @param blockEntitiesChanged whether the block entities in the template have changed
+     */
+    public record Diff(boolean dataChanged, boolean chunksChanged, boolean biomeChanged, boolean blockEntitiesChanged) {
+        public boolean needsRegeneration() {
+            return this.chunksChanged || this.biomeChanged || this.blockEntitiesChanged;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Calculate the difference in chunks between the two semplates.
+     *
+     * @param a the first template
+     * @param b the second template
+     */
+    public static Diff diff(MapTemplate a, MapTemplate b) {
+        if (a == b) {
+            return new Diff(false, false, false, false);
+        }
+
+        boolean chunksChanged = !(a.chunks.equals(b.chunks));
+        boolean dataChanged = !a.getMetadata().equals(b.getMetadata());
+        boolean biomeChanged = a.biome != b.biome;
+        boolean blockEntitiesChanged = !a.blockEntities.equals(b.blockEntities);
+        return new Diff(dataChanged, chunksChanged, biomeChanged, blockEntitiesChanged);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Calculate the difference in chunks between this and another template.
+    */
+    public Diff diff(MapTemplate other) {
+        return MapTemplate.diff(this, other);
+    }
+
     public void mergeFrom(MapTemplate other) {
         other.mergeInto(this);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplateMetadata.java b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplateMetadata.java
index 4786cf6..869230a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplateMetadata.java
+++ b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/MapTemplateMetadata.java
@@ -116,4 +116,12 @@ public void setData(NbtCompound data) {
     public NbtCompound getData() {
         return this.data;
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (!(o instanceof MapTemplateMetadata)) return false;
+
+        return this.data.equals(((MapTemplateMetadata) o).data) && this.regions.equals(((MapTemplateMetadata) o).regions);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/TemplateRegion.java b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/TemplateRegion.java
index 1eac4c6..440b30e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/TemplateRegion.java
+++ b/src/main/java/xyz/nucleoid/map_templates/TemplateRegion.java
@@ -55,4 +55,11 @@ public static TemplateRegion deserialize(NbtCompound nbt) {
     public TemplateRegion copy() {
         return new TemplateRegion(this.marker, this.bounds, this.data != null ? this.data.copy() : null);
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (!(o instanceof TemplateRegion other)) return false;
+        return this.data.equals(other.data) && this.marker.equals(other.marker) && this.bounds.equals(other.bounds);
+    }
 }