# babel > A transpiler which converts code from JavaScript ES6/ES7 syntax to ES5 syntax. > More information: . - Transpile a specified input file and output to `stdout`: `babel {{path/to/file}}` - Transpile a specified input file and output to a specific file: `babel {{path/to/input_file}} --out-file {{path/to/output_file}}` - Transpile the input file every time it is changed: `babel {{path/to/input_file}} --watch` - Transpile a whole directory of files: `babel {{path/to/input_directory}}` - Ignore specified comma-separated files in a directory: `babel {{path/to/input_directory}} --ignore {{ignored_file1,ignored_file2,...}}` - Transpile and output as minified JavaScript: `babel {{path/to/input_file}} --minified` - Choose a set of presets for output formatting: `babel {{path/to/input_file}} --presets {{preset1,preset2,...}}` - Display help: `babel --help`