# diffoscope > Compare files, archives, and directories. > More information: . - Compare two files: `diffoscope {{path/to/file1}} {{path/to/file2}}` - Compare two files without displaying a progress bar: `diffoscope --no-progress {{path/to/file1}} {{path/to/file2}}` - Compare two files and write an HTML-report to a file (use `-` for `stdout`): `diffoscope --html {{path/to/outfile|-}} {{path/to/file1}} {{path/to/file2}}` - Compare two directories excluding files with a name matching a specified pattern: `diffoscope --exclude {{pattern}} {{path/to/directory1}} {{path/to/directory2}}` - Compare two directories and control whether directory metadata is considered: `diffoscope --exclude-directory-metadata {{auto|yes|no|recursive}} {{path/to/directory1}} {{path/to/directory2}}`