---
syntax: markdown
tags: [tldr, common]
source: https://github.com/tldr-pages/tldr.git
---
# diffoscope

> Compare files, archives, and directories.
> More information: <https://diffoscope.org>.

- 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}}`
