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# File System
<!--introduced_in=v0.10.0-->
> Stability: 2 - Stable
<!--name=fs-->
The `fs` module provides an API for interacting with the file system in a
manner closely modeled around standard POSIX functions.
To use this module:
```js
const fs = require('fs');
```
All file system operations have synchronous and asynchronous forms.
The asynchronous form always takes a completion callback as its last argument.
The arguments passed to the completion callback depend on the method, but the
first argument is always reserved for an exception. If the operation was
completed successfully, then the first argument will be `null` or `undefined`.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
fs.unlink('/tmp/hello', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('successfully deleted /tmp/hello');
});
```
Exceptions that occur using synchronous operations are thrown immediately and
may be handled using `try…catch`, or may be allowed to bubble up.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
try {
fs.unlinkSync('/tmp/hello');
console.log('successfully deleted /tmp/hello');
} catch (err) {
// handle the error
}
```
There is no guaranteed ordering when using asynchronous methods. So the
following is prone to error because the `fs.stat()` operation may complete
before the `fs.rename()` operation:
```js
fs.rename('/tmp/hello', '/tmp/world', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('renamed complete');
});
fs.stat('/tmp/world', (err, stats) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(`stats: ${JSON.stringify(stats)}`);
});
```
To correctly order the operations, move the `fs.stat()` call into the callback
of the `fs.rename()` operation:
```js
fs.rename('/tmp/hello', '/tmp/world', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.stat('/tmp/world', (err, stats) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(`stats: ${JSON.stringify(stats)}`);
});
});
```
In busy processes, use the asynchronous versions of these calls. The synchronous
versions will block the entire process until they complete, halting all
connections.
While it is not recommended, most fs functions allow the callback argument to
be omitted, in which case a default callback is used that rethrows errors. To
get a trace to the original call site, set the `NODE_DEBUG` environment
variable:
Omitting the callback function on asynchronous fs functions is deprecated and
may result in an error being thrown in the future.
```console
$ cat script.js
function bad() {
require('fs').readFile('/');
}
bad();
$ env NODE_DEBUG=fs node script.js
fs.js:88
throw backtrace;
^
Error: EISDIR: illegal operation on a directory, read
<stack trace.>
```
## File paths
Most `fs` operations accept filepaths that may be specified in the form of
a string, a [`Buffer`][], or a [`URL`][] object using the `file:` protocol.
String form paths are interpreted as UTF-8 character sequences identifying
the absolute or relative filename. Relative paths will be resolved relative
to the current working directory as specified by `process.cwd()`.
Example using an absolute path on POSIX:
```js
const fs = require('fs');
fs.open('/open/some/file.txt', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.close(fd, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
});
```
Example using a relative path on POSIX (relative to `process.cwd()`):
```js
fs.open('file.txt', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.close(fd, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
});
```
Paths specified using a [`Buffer`][] are useful primarily on certain POSIX
operating systems that treat file paths as opaque byte sequences. On such
systems, it is possible for a single file path to contain sub-sequences that
use multiple character encodings. As with string paths, `Buffer` paths may
be relative or absolute:
Example using an absolute path on POSIX:
```js
fs.open(Buffer.from('/open/some/file.txt'), 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.close(fd, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
});
```
On Windows, Node.js follows the concept of per-drive working directory. This
behavior can be observed when using a drive path without a backslash. For
example `fs.readdirSync('c:\\')` can potentially return a different result than
`fs.readdirSync('c:')`. For more information, see
[this MSDN page][MSDN-Rel-Path].
### URL object support
<!-- YAML
added: v7.6.0
-->
For most `fs` module functions, the `path` or `filename` argument may be passed
as a WHATWG [`URL`][] object. Only [`URL`][] objects using the `file:` protocol
are supported.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const fileUrl = new URL('file:///tmp/hello');
fs.readFileSync(fileUrl);
```
`file:` URLs are always absolute paths.
Using WHATWG [`URL`][] objects might introduce platform-specific behaviors.
On Windows, `file:` URLs with a host name convert to UNC paths, while `file:`
URLs with drive letters convert to local absolute paths. `file:` URLs without a
host name nor a drive letter will result in a throw:
```js
// On Windows :
// - WHATWG file URLs with hostname convert to UNC path
// file://hostname/p/a/t/h/file => \\hostname\p\a\t\h\file
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file://hostname/p/a/t/h/file'));
// - WHATWG file URLs with drive letters convert to absolute path
// file:///C:/tmp/hello => C:\tmp\hello
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///C:/tmp/hello'));
// - WHATWG file URLs without hostname must have a drive letters
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///notdriveletter/p/a/t/h/file'));
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///c/p/a/t/h/file'));
// TypeError [ERR_INVALID_FILE_URL_PATH]: File URL path must be absolute
```
`file:` URLs with drive letters must use `:` as a separator just after
the drive letter. Using another separator will result in a throw.
On all other platforms, `file:` URLs with a host name are unsupported and will
result in a throw:
```js
// On other platforms:
// - WHATWG file URLs with hostname are unsupported
// file://hostname/p/a/t/h/file => throw!
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file://hostname/p/a/t/h/file'));
// TypeError [ERR_INVALID_FILE_URL_PATH]: must be absolute
// - WHATWG file URLs convert to absolute path
// file:///tmp/hello => /tmp/hello
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///tmp/hello'));
```
A `file:` URL having encoded slash characters will result in a throw on all
platforms:
```js
// On Windows
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///C:/p/a/t/h/%2F'));
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///C:/p/a/t/h/%2f'));
/* TypeError [ERR_INVALID_FILE_URL_PATH]: File URL path must not include encoded
\ or / characters */
// On POSIX
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///p/a/t/h/%2F'));
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///p/a/t/h/%2f'));
/* TypeError [ERR_INVALID_FILE_URL_PATH]: File URL path must not include encoded
/ characters */
```
On Windows, `file:` URLs having encoded backslash will result in a throw:
```js
// On Windows
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///C:/path/%5C'));
fs.readFileSync(new URL('file:///C:/path/%5c'));
/* TypeError [ERR_INVALID_FILE_URL_PATH]: File URL path must not include encoded
\ or / characters */
```
## File Descriptors
On POSIX systems, for every process, the kernel maintains a table of currently
open files and resources. Each open file is assigned a simple numeric
identifier called a *file descriptor*. At the system-level, all file system
operations use these file descriptors to identify and track each specific
file. Windows systems use a different but conceptually similar mechanism for
tracking resources. To simplify things for users, Node.js abstracts away the
specific differences between operating systems and assigns all open files a
numeric file descriptor.
The `fs.open()` method is used to allocate a new file descriptor. Once
allocated, the file descriptor may be used to read data from, write data to,
or request information about the file.
```js
fs.open('/open/some/file.txt', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.fstat(fd, (err, stat) => {
if (err) throw err;
// use stat
// always close the file descriptor!
fs.close(fd, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
});
});
```
Most operating systems limit the number of file descriptors that may be open
at any given time so it is critical to close the descriptor when operations
are completed. Failure to do so will result in a memory leak that will
eventually cause an application to crash.
## Threadpool Usage
All file system APIs except `fs.FSWatcher()` and those that are explicitly
synchronous use libuv's threadpool, which can have surprising and negative
performance implications for some applications. See the
[`UV_THREADPOOL_SIZE`][] documentation for more information.
## Class `fs.Dir`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
A class representing a directory stream.
Created by [`fs.opendir()`][], [`fs.opendirSync()`][], or
[`fsPromises.opendir()`][].
```js
const fs = require('fs');
async function print(path) {
const dir = await fs.promises.opendir(path);
for await (const dirent of dir) {
console.log(dirent.name);
}
}
print('./').catch(console.error);
```
### `dir.close()`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously close the directory's underlying resource handle.
Subsequent reads will result in errors.
A `Promise` is returned that will be resolved after the resource has been
closed.
### `dir.close(callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously close the directory's underlying resource handle.
Subsequent reads will result in errors.
The `callback` will be called after the resource handle has been closed.
### `dir.closeSync()`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
Synchronously close the directory's underlying resource handle.
Subsequent reads will result in errors.
### `dir.path`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* {string}
The read-only path of this directory as was provided to [`fs.opendir()`][],
[`fs.opendirSync()`][], or [`fsPromises.opendir()`][].
### `dir.read()`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* Returns: {Promise} containing {fs.Dirent|null}
Asynchronously read the next directory entry via readdir(3) as an
[`fs.Dirent`][].
After the read is completed, a `Promise` is returned that will be resolved with
an [`fs.Dirent`][], or `null` if there are no more directory entries to read.
Directory entries returned by this function are in no particular order as
provided by the operating system's underlying directory mechanisms.
Entries added or removed while iterating over the directory may or may not be
included in the iteration results.
### `dir.read(callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `dirent` {fs.Dirent|null}
Asynchronously read the next directory entry via readdir(3) as an
[`fs.Dirent`][].
After the read is completed, the `callback` will be called with an
[`fs.Dirent`][], or `null` if there are no more directory entries to read.
Directory entries returned by this function are in no particular order as
provided by the operating system's underlying directory mechanisms.
Entries added or removed while iterating over the directory may or may not be
included in the iteration results.
### `dir.readSync()`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* Returns: {fs.Dirent|null}
Synchronously read the next directory entry via readdir(3) as an
[`fs.Dirent`][].
If there are no more directory entries to read, `null` will be returned.
Directory entries returned by this function are in no particular order as
provided by the operating system's underlying directory mechanisms.
Entries added or removed while iterating over the directory may or may not be
included in the iteration results.
### `dir[Symbol.asyncIterator]()`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
-->
* Returns: {AsyncIterator} of {fs.Dirent}
Asynchronously iterates over the directory via readdir(3) until all entries have
been read.
Entries returned by the async iterator are always an [`fs.Dirent`][].
The `null` case from `dir.read()` is handled internally.
See [`fs.Dir`][] for an example.
Directory entries returned by this iterator are in no particular order as
provided by the operating system's underlying directory mechanisms.
Entries added or removed while iterating over the directory may or may not be
included in the iteration results.
## Class: `fs.Dirent`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
A representation of a directory entry, as returned by reading from an
[`fs.Dir`][].
Additionally, when [`fs.readdir()`][] or [`fs.readdirSync()`][] is called with
the `withFileTypes` option set to `true`, the resulting array is filled with
`fs.Dirent` objects, rather than strings or `Buffers`.
### `dirent.isBlockDevice()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a block device.
### `dirent.isCharacterDevice()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a character device.
### `dirent.isDirectory()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a file system
directory.
### `dirent.isFIFO()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a first-in-first-out
(FIFO) pipe.
### `dirent.isFile()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a regular file.
### `dirent.isSocket()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a socket.
### `dirent.isSymbolicLink()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Dirent` object describes a symbolic link.
### `dirent.name`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.10.0
-->
* {string|Buffer}
The file name that this `fs.Dirent` object refers to. The type of this
value is determined by the `options.encoding` passed to [`fs.readdir()`][] or
[`fs.readdirSync()`][].
## Class: `fs.FSWatcher`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.5.8
-->
* Extends {EventEmitter}
A successful call to [`fs.watch()`][] method will return a new `fs.FSWatcher`
object.
All `fs.FSWatcher` objects emit a `'change'` event whenever a specific watched
file is modified.
### Event: `'change'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.5.8
-->
* `eventType` {string} The type of change event that has occurred
* `filename` {string|Buffer} The filename that changed (if relevant/available)
Emitted when something changes in a watched directory or file.
See more details in [`fs.watch()`][].
The `filename` argument may not be provided depending on operating system
support. If `filename` is provided, it will be provided as a `Buffer` if
`fs.watch()` is called with its `encoding` option set to `'buffer'`, otherwise
`filename` will be a UTF-8 string.
```js
// Example when handled through fs.watch() listener
fs.watch('./tmp', { encoding: 'buffer' }, (eventType, filename) => {
if (filename) {
console.log(filename);
// Prints: <Buffer ...>
}
});
```
### Event: `'close'`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
Emitted when the watcher stops watching for changes. The closed
`fs.FSWatcher` object is no longer usable in the event handler.
### Event: `'error'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.5.8
-->
* `error` {Error}
Emitted when an error occurs while watching the file. The errored
`fs.FSWatcher` object is no longer usable in the event handler.
### `watcher.close()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.5.8
-->
Stop watching for changes on the given `fs.FSWatcher`. Once stopped, the
`fs.FSWatcher` object is no longer usable.
## Class: `fs.ReadStream`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
* Extends: {stream.Readable}
A successful call to `fs.createReadStream()` will return a new `fs.ReadStream`
object.
### Event: `'close'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
Emitted when the `fs.ReadStream`'s underlying file descriptor has been closed.
### Event: `'open'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
* `fd` {integer} Integer file descriptor used by the `ReadStream`.
Emitted when the `fs.ReadStream`'s file descriptor has been opened.
### Event: `'ready'`
<!-- YAML
added: v9.11.0
-->
Emitted when the `fs.ReadStream` is ready to be used.
Fires immediately after `'open'`.
### `readStream.bytesRead`
<!-- YAML
added: v6.4.0
-->
* {number}
The number of bytes that have been read so far.
### `readStream.path`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
* {string|Buffer}
The path to the file the stream is reading from as specified in the first
argument to `fs.createReadStream()`. If `path` is passed as a string, then
`readStream.path` will be a string. If `path` is passed as a `Buffer`, then
`readStream.path` will be a `Buffer`.
### `readStream.pending`
<!-- YAML
added: v11.2.0
-->
* {boolean}
This property is `true` if the underlying file has not been opened yet,
i.e. before the `'ready'` event is emitted.
## Class: `fs.Stats`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v8.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/13173
description: Added times as numbers.
-->
A `fs.Stats` object provides information about a file.
Objects returned from [`fs.stat()`][], [`fs.lstat()`][] and [`fs.fstat()`][] and
their synchronous counterparts are of this type.
If `bigint` in the `options` passed to those methods is true, the numeric values
will be `bigint` instead of `number`, and the object will contain additional
nanosecond-precision properties suffixed with `Ns`.
```console
Stats {
dev: 2114,
ino: 48064969,
mode: 33188,
nlink: 1,
uid: 85,
gid: 100,
rdev: 0,
size: 527,
blksize: 4096,
blocks: 8,
atimeMs: 1318289051000.1,
mtimeMs: 1318289051000.1,
ctimeMs: 1318289051000.1,
birthtimeMs: 1318289051000.1,
atime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
mtime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
ctime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
birthtime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT }
```
`bigint` version:
```console
BigIntStats {
dev: 2114n,
ino: 48064969n,
mode: 33188n,
nlink: 1n,
uid: 85n,
gid: 100n,
rdev: 0n,
size: 527n,
blksize: 4096n,
blocks: 8n,
atimeMs: 1318289051000n,
mtimeMs: 1318289051000n,
ctimeMs: 1318289051000n,
birthtimeMs: 1318289051000n,
atimeNs: 1318289051000000000n,
mtimeNs: 1318289051000000000n,
ctimeNs: 1318289051000000000n,
birthtimeNs: 1318289051000000000n,
atime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
mtime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
ctime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT,
birthtime: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:24:11 GMT }
```
### `stats.isBlockDevice()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a block device.
### `stats.isCharacterDevice()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a character device.
### `stats.isDirectory()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a file system directory.
### `stats.isFIFO()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a first-in-first-out (FIFO)
pipe.
### `stats.isFile()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a regular file.
### `stats.isSocket()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a socket.
### `stats.isSymbolicLink()`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.10
-->
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the `fs.Stats` object describes a symbolic link.
This method is only valid when using [`fs.lstat()`][].
### `stats.dev`
* {number|bigint}
The numeric identifier of the device containing the file.
### `stats.ino`
* {number|bigint}
The file system specific "Inode" number for the file.
### `stats.mode`
* {number|bigint}
A bit-field describing the file type and mode.
### `stats.nlink`
* {number|bigint}
The number of hard-links that exist for the file.
### `stats.uid`
* {number|bigint}
The numeric user identifier of the user that owns the file (POSIX).
### `stats.gid`
* {number|bigint}
The numeric group identifier of the group that owns the file (POSIX).
### `stats.rdev`
* {number|bigint}
A numeric device identifier if the file is considered "special".
### `stats.size`
* {number|bigint}
The size of the file in bytes.
### `stats.blksize`
* {number|bigint}
The file system block size for i/o operations.
### `stats.blocks`
* {number|bigint}
The number of blocks allocated for this file.
### `stats.atimeMs`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.1.0
-->
* {number|bigint}
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was accessed expressed in
milliseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.mtimeMs`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.1.0
-->
* {number|bigint}
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was modified expressed in
milliseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.ctimeMs`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.1.0
-->
* {number|bigint}
The timestamp indicating the last time the file status was changed expressed
in milliseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.birthtimeMs`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.1.0
-->
* {number|bigint}
The timestamp indicating the creation time of this file expressed in
milliseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.atimeNs`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.10.0
-->
* {bigint}
Only present when `bigint: true` is passed into the method that generates
the object.
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was accessed expressed in
nanoseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.mtimeNs`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.10.0
-->
* {bigint}
Only present when `bigint: true` is passed into the method that generates
the object.
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was modified expressed in
nanoseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.ctimeNs`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.10.0
-->
* {bigint}
Only present when `bigint: true` is passed into the method that generates
the object.
The timestamp indicating the last time the file status was changed expressed
in nanoseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.birthtimeNs`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.10.0
-->
* {bigint}
Only present when `bigint: true` is passed into the method that generates
the object.
The timestamp indicating the creation time of this file expressed in
nanoseconds since the POSIX Epoch.
### `stats.atime`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.13
-->
* {Date}
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was accessed.
### `stats.mtime`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.13
-->
* {Date}
The timestamp indicating the last time this file was modified.
### `stats.ctime`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.13
-->
* {Date}
The timestamp indicating the last time the file status was changed.
### `stats.birthtime`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.13
-->
* {Date}
The timestamp indicating the creation time of this file.
### Stat Time Values
The `atimeMs`, `mtimeMs`, `ctimeMs`, `birthtimeMs` properties are
numeric values that hold the corresponding times in milliseconds. Their
precision is platform specific. When `bigint: true` is passed into the
method that generates the object, the properties will be [bigints][],
otherwise they will be [numbers][MDN-Number].
The `atimeNs`, `mtimeNs`, `ctimeNs`, `birthtimeNs` properties are
[bigints][] that hold the corresponding times in nanoseconds. They are
only present when `bigint: true` is passed into the method that generates
the object. Their precision is platform specific.
`atime`, `mtime`, `ctime`, and `birthtime` are
[`Date`][MDN-Date] object alternate representations of the various times. The
`Date` and number values are not connected. Assigning a new number value, or
mutating the `Date` value, will not be reflected in the corresponding alternate
representation.
The times in the stat object have the following semantics:
* `atime` "Access Time": Time when file data last accessed. Changed
by the mknod(2), utimes(2), and read(2) system calls.
* `mtime` "Modified Time": Time when file data last modified.
Changed by the mknod(2), utimes(2), and write(2) system calls.
* `ctime` "Change Time": Time when file status was last changed
(inode data modification). Changed by the chmod(2), chown(2),
link(2), mknod(2), rename(2), unlink(2), utimes(2),
read(2), and write(2) system calls.
* `birthtime` "Birth Time": Time of file creation. Set once when the
file is created. On filesystems where birthtime is not available,
this field may instead hold either the `ctime` or
`1970-01-01T00:00Z` (ie, Unix epoch timestamp `0`). This value may be greater
than `atime` or `mtime` in this case. On Darwin and other FreeBSD variants,
also set if the `atime` is explicitly set to an earlier value than the current
`birthtime` using the utimes(2) system call.
Prior to Node.js 0.12, the `ctime` held the `birthtime` on Windows systems. As
of 0.12, `ctime` is not "creation time", and on Unix systems, it never was.
## Class: `fs.WriteStream`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
* Extends {stream.Writable}
### Event: `'close'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
Emitted when the `WriteStream`'s underlying file descriptor has been closed.
### Event: `'open'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
* `fd` {integer} Integer file descriptor used by the `WriteStream`.
Emitted when the `WriteStream`'s file is opened.
### Event: `'ready'`
<!-- YAML
added: v9.11.0
-->
Emitted when the `fs.WriteStream` is ready to be used.
Fires immediately after `'open'`.
### `writeStream.bytesWritten`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.7
-->
The number of bytes written so far. Does not include data that is still queued
for writing.
### `writeStream.path`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.93
-->
The path to the file the stream is writing to as specified in the first
argument to [`fs.createWriteStream()`][]. If `path` is passed as a string, then
`writeStream.path` will be a string. If `path` is passed as a `Buffer`, then
`writeStream.path` will be a `Buffer`.
### `writeStream.pending`
<!-- YAML
added: v11.2.0
-->
* {boolean}
This property is `true` if the underlying file has not been opened yet,
i.e. before the `'ready'` event is emitted.
## `fs.access(path[, mode], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.15
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v6.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/6534
description: The constants like `fs.R_OK`, etc which were present directly
on `fs` were moved into `fs.constants` as a soft deprecation.
Thus for Node.js `< v6.3.0` use `fs`
to access those constants, or
do something like `(fs.constants || fs).R_OK` to work with all
versions.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `fs.constants.F_OK`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Tests a user's permissions for the file or directory specified by `path`.
The `mode` argument is an optional integer that specifies the accessibility
checks to be performed. Check [File Access Constants][] for possible values
of `mode`. It is possible to create a mask consisting of the bitwise OR of
two or more values (e.g. `fs.constants.W_OK | fs.constants.R_OK`).
The final argument, `callback`, is a callback function that is invoked with
a possible error argument. If any of the accessibility checks fail, the error
argument will be an `Error` object. The following examples check if
`package.json` exists, and if it is readable or writable.
```js
const file = 'package.json';
// Check if the file exists in the current directory.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.F_OK, (err) => {
console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'does not exist' : 'exists'}`);
});
// Check if the file is readable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.R_OK, (err) => {
console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'is not readable' : 'is readable'}`);
});
// Check if the file is writable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.W_OK, (err) => {
console.log(`${file} ${err ? 'is not writable' : 'is writable'}`);
});
// Check if the file exists in the current directory, and if it is writable.
fs.access(file, fs.constants.F_OK | fs.constants.W_OK, (err) => {
if (err) {
console.error(
`${file} ${err.code === 'ENOENT' ? 'does not exist' : 'is read-only'}`);
} else {
console.log(`${file} exists, and it is writable`);
}
});
```
Using `fs.access()` to check for the accessibility of a file before calling
`fs.open()`, `fs.readFile()` or `fs.writeFile()` is not recommended. Doing
so introduces a race condition, since other processes may change the file's
state between the two calls. Instead, user code should open/read/write the
file directly and handle the error raised if the file is not accessible.
**write (NOT RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.access('myfile', (err) => {
if (!err) {
console.error('myfile already exists');
return;
}
fs.open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
writeMyData(fd);
});
});
```
**write (RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
if (err) {
if (err.code === 'EEXIST') {
console.error('myfile already exists');
return;
}
throw err;
}
writeMyData(fd);
});
```
**read (NOT RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.access('myfile', (err) => {
if (err) {
if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
console.error('myfile does not exist');
return;
}
throw err;
}
fs.open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
readMyData(fd);
});
});
```
**read (RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) {
if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
console.error('myfile does not exist');
return;
}
throw err;
}
readMyData(fd);
});
```
The "not recommended" examples above check for accessibility and then use the
file; the "recommended" examples are better because they use the file directly
and handle the error, if any.
In general, check for the accessibility of a file only if the file will not be
used directly, for example when its accessibility is a signal from another
process.
On Windows, access-control policies (ACLs) on a directory may limit access to
a file or directory. The `fs.access()` function, however, does not check the
ACL and therefore may report that a path is accessible even if the ACL restricts
the user from reading or writing to it.
## `fs.accessSync(path[, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.15
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `fs.constants.F_OK`
Synchronously tests a user's permissions for the file or directory specified
by `path`. The `mode` argument is an optional integer that specifies the
accessibility checks to be performed. Check [File Access Constants][] for
possible values of `mode`. It is possible to create a mask consisting of
the bitwise OR of two or more values
(e.g. `fs.constants.W_OK | fs.constants.R_OK`).
If any of the accessibility checks fail, an `Error` will be thrown. Otherwise,
the method will return `undefined`.
```js
try {
fs.accessSync('etc/passwd', fs.constants.R_OK | fs.constants.W_OK);
console.log('can read/write');
} catch (err) {
console.error('no access!');
}
```
## `fs.appendFile(path, data[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.6.7
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7831
description: The passed `options` object will never be modified.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `file` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|number} filename or file descriptor
* `data` {string|Buffer}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'a'`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously append data to a file, creating the file if it does not yet
exist. `data` can be a string or a [`Buffer`][].
```js
fs.appendFile('message.txt', 'data to append', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('The "data to append" was appended to file!');
});
```
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding:
```js
fs.appendFile('message.txt', 'data to append', 'utf8', callback);
```
The `path` may be specified as a numeric file descriptor that has been opened
for appending (using `fs.open()` or `fs.openSync()`). The file descriptor will
not be closed automatically.
```js
fs.open('message.txt', 'a', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
fs.appendFile(fd, 'data to append', 'utf8', (err) => {
fs.close(fd, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
if (err) throw err;
});
});
```
## `fs.appendFileSync(path, data[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.6.7
changes:
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7831
description: The passed `options` object will never be modified.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `file` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|number} filename or file descriptor
* `data` {string|Buffer}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'a'`.
Synchronously append data to a file, creating the file if it does not yet
exist. `data` can be a string or a [`Buffer`][].
```js
try {
fs.appendFileSync('message.txt', 'data to append');
console.log('The "data to append" was appended to file!');
} catch (err) {
/* Handle the error */
}
```
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding:
```js
fs.appendFileSync('message.txt', 'data to append', 'utf8');
```
The `path` may be specified as a numeric file descriptor that has been opened
for appending (using `fs.open()` or `fs.openSync()`). The file descriptor will
not be closed automatically.
```js
let fd;
try {
fd = fs.openSync('message.txt', 'a');
fs.appendFileSync(fd, 'data to append', 'utf8');
} catch (err) {
/* Handle the error */
} finally {
if (fd !== undefined)
fs.closeSync(fd);
}
```
## `fs.chmod(path, mode, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.30
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {string|integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously changes the permissions of a file. No arguments other than a
possible exception are given to the completion callback.
See also: chmod(2).
```js
fs.chmod('my_file.txt', 0o775, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('The permissions for file "my_file.txt" have been changed!');
});
```
### File modes
The `mode` argument used in both the `fs.chmod()` and `fs.chmodSync()`
methods is a numeric bitmask created using a logical OR of the following
constants:
| Constant | Octal | Description |
| ---------------------- | ------- | ------------------------ |
| `fs.constants.S_IRUSR` | `0o400` | read by owner |
| `fs.constants.S_IWUSR` | `0o200` | write by owner |
| `fs.constants.S_IXUSR` | `0o100` | execute/search by owner |
| `fs.constants.S_IRGRP` | `0o40` | read by group |
| `fs.constants.S_IWGRP` | `0o20` | write by group |
| `fs.constants.S_IXGRP` | `0o10` | execute/search by group |
| `fs.constants.S_IROTH` | `0o4` | read by others |
| `fs.constants.S_IWOTH` | `0o2` | write by others |
| `fs.constants.S_IXOTH` | `0o1` | execute/search by others |
An easier method of constructing the `mode` is to use a sequence of three
octal digits (e.g. `765`). The left-most digit (`7` in the example), specifies
the permissions for the file owner. The middle digit (`6` in the example),
specifies permissions for the group. The right-most digit (`5` in the example),
specifies the permissions for others.
| Number | Description |
| ------- | ------------------------ |
| `7` | read, write, and execute |
| `6` | read and write |
| `5` | read and execute |
| `4` | read only |
| `3` | write and execute |
| `2` | write only |
| `1` | execute only |
| `0` | no permission |
For example, the octal value `0o765` means:
* The owner may read, write and execute the file.
* The group may read and write the file.
* Others may read and execute the file.
When using raw numbers where file modes are expected, any value larger than
`0o777` may result in platform-specific behaviors that are not supported to work
consistently. Therefore constants like `S_ISVTX`, `S_ISGID` or `S_ISUID` are not
exposed in `fs.constants`.
Caveats: on Windows only the write permission can be changed, and the
distinction among the permissions of group, owner or others is not
implemented.
## `fs.chmodSync(path, mode)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.6.7
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {string|integer}
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.chmod()`][].
See also: chmod(2).
## `fs.chown(path, uid, gid, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.97
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously changes owner and group of a file. No arguments other than a
possible exception are given to the completion callback.
See also: chown(2).
## `fs.chownSync(path, uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.97
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
Synchronously changes owner and group of a file. Returns `undefined`.
This is the synchronous version of [`fs.chown()`][].
See also: chown(2).
## `fs.close(fd, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous close(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given
to the completion callback.
Calling `fs.close()` on any file descriptor (`fd`) that is currently in use
through any other `fs` operation may lead to undefined behavior.
## `fs.closeSync(fd)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
-->
* `fd` {integer}
Synchronous close(2). Returns `undefined`.
Calling `fs.closeSync()` on any file descriptor (`fd`) that is currently in use
through any other `fs` operation may lead to undefined behavior.
## `fs.constants`
* {Object}
Returns an object containing commonly used constants for file system
operations. The specific constants currently defined are described in
[FS Constants][].
## `fs.copyFile(src, dest[, mode], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.5.0
-->
* `src` {string|Buffer|URL} source filename to copy
* `dest` {string|Buffer|URL} destination filename of the copy operation
* `mode` {integer} modifiers for copy operation. **Default:** `0`.
* `callback` {Function}
Asynchronously copies `src` to `dest`. By default, `dest` is overwritten if it
already exists. No arguments other than a possible exception are given to the
callback function. Node.js makes no guarantees about the atomicity of the copy
operation. If an error occurs after the destination file has been opened for
writing, Node.js will attempt to remove the destination.
`mode` is an optional integer that specifies the behavior
of the copy operation. It is possible to create a mask consisting of the bitwise
OR of two or more values (e.g.
`fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL | fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`).
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL`: The copy operation will fail if `dest` already
exists.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`: The copy operation will attempt to create a
copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write, then a
fallback copy mechanism is used.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE_FORCE`: The copy operation will attempt to
create a copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write,
then the operation will fail.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const { COPYFILE_EXCL } = fs.constants;
function callback(err) {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('source.txt was copied to destination.txt');
}
// destination.txt will be created or overwritten by default.
fs.copyFile('source.txt', 'destination.txt', callback);
// By using COPYFILE_EXCL, the operation will fail if destination.txt exists.
fs.copyFile('source.txt', 'destination.txt', COPYFILE_EXCL, callback);
```
## `fs.copyFileSync(src, dest[, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v8.5.0
-->
* `src` {string|Buffer|URL} source filename to copy
* `dest` {string|Buffer|URL} destination filename of the copy operation
* `mode` {integer} modifiers for copy operation. **Default:** `0`.
Synchronously copies `src` to `dest`. By default, `dest` is overwritten if it
already exists. Returns `undefined`. Node.js makes no guarantees about the
atomicity of the copy operation. If an error occurs after the destination file
has been opened for writing, Node.js will attempt to remove the destination.
`mode` is an optional integer that specifies the behavior
of the copy operation. It is possible to create a mask consisting of the bitwise
OR of two or more values (e.g.
`fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL | fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`).
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL`: The copy operation will fail if `dest` already
exists.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`: The copy operation will attempt to create a
copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write, then a
fallback copy mechanism is used.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE_FORCE`: The copy operation will attempt to
create a copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write,
then the operation will fail.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const { COPYFILE_EXCL } = fs.constants;
// destination.txt will be created or overwritten by default.
fs.copyFileSync('source.txt', 'destination.txt');
console.log('source.txt was copied to destination.txt');
// By using COPYFILE_EXCL, the operation will fail if destination.txt exists.
fs.copyFileSync('source.txt', 'destination.txt', COPYFILE_EXCL);
```
## `fs.createReadStream(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v12.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29212
description: Enable `emitClose` option.
- version: v11.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/19898
description: Impose new restrictions on `start` and `end`, throwing
more appropriate errors in cases when we cannot reasonably
handle the input values.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7831
description: The passed `options` object will never be modified.
- version: v2.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/1845
description: The passed `options` object can be a string now.
- version: v13.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29083
description: The `fs` options allow overriding the used `fs`
implementation.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `flags` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:**
`'r'`.
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `null`
* `fd` {integer} **Default:** `null`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `autoClose` {boolean} **Default:** `true`
* `emitClose` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `start` {integer}
* `end` {integer} **Default:** `Infinity`
* `highWaterMark` {integer} **Default:** `64 * 1024`
* `fs` {Object|null} **Default:** `null`
* Returns: {fs.ReadStream} See [Readable Stream][].
Unlike the 16 kb default `highWaterMark` for a readable stream, the stream
returned by this method has a default `highWaterMark` of 64 kb.
`options` can include `start` and `end` values to read a range of bytes from
the file instead of the entire file. Both `start` and `end` are inclusive and
start counting at 0, allowed values are in the
[0, [`Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`][]] range. If `fd` is specified and `start` is
omitted or `undefined`, `fs.createReadStream()` reads sequentially from the
current file position. The `encoding` can be any one of those accepted by
[`Buffer`][].
If `fd` is specified, `ReadStream` will ignore the `path` argument and will use
the specified file descriptor. This means that no `'open'` event will be
emitted. `fd` should be blocking; non-blocking `fd`s should be passed to
[`net.Socket`][].
If `fd` points to a character device that only supports blocking reads
(such as keyboard or sound card), read operations do not finish until data is
available. This can prevent the process from exiting and the stream from
closing naturally.
By default, the stream will not emit a `'close'` event after it has been
destroyed. This is the opposite of the default for other `Readable` streams.
Set the `emitClose` option to `true` to change this behavior.
By providing the `fs` option it is possible to override the corresponding `fs`
implementations for `open`, `read` and `close`. When providing the `fs` option,
you must override `open`, `close` and `read`.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
// Create a stream from some character device.
const stream = fs.createReadStream('/dev/input/event0');
setTimeout(() => {
stream.close(); // This may not close the stream.
// Artificially marking end-of-stream, as if the underlying resource had
// indicated end-of-file by itself, allows the stream to close.
// This does not cancel pending read operations, and if there is such an
// operation, the process may still not be able to exit successfully
// until it finishes.
stream.push(null);
stream.read(0);
}, 100);
```
If `autoClose` is false, then the file descriptor won't be closed, even if
there's an error. It is the application's responsibility to close it and make
sure there's no file descriptor leak. If `autoClose` is set to true (default
behavior), on `'error'` or `'end'` the file descriptor will be closed
automatically.
`mode` sets the file mode (permission and sticky bits), but only if the
file was created.
An example to read the last 10 bytes of a file which is 100 bytes long:
```js
fs.createReadStream('sample.txt', { start: 90, end: 99 });
```
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
## `fs.createWriteStream(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v12.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29212
description: Enable `emitClose` option.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7831
description: The passed `options` object will never be modified.
- version: v5.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3679
description: The `autoClose` option is supported now.
- version: v2.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/1845
description: The passed `options` object can be a string now.
- version: v13.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29083
description: The `fs` options allow overriding the used `fs`
implementation.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `flags` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:**
`'w'`.
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `fd` {integer} **Default:** `null`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `autoClose` {boolean} **Default:** `true`
* `emitClose` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `start` {integer}
* `fs` {Object|null} **Default:** `null`
* Returns: {fs.WriteStream} See [Writable Stream][].
`options` may also include a `start` option to allow writing data at some
position past the beginning of the file, allowed values are in the
[0, [`Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`][]] range. Modifying a file rather than replacing
it may require the `flags` option to be set to `r+` rather than the default `w`.
The `encoding` can be any one of those accepted by [`Buffer`][].
If `autoClose` is set to true (default behavior) on `'error'` or `'finish'`
the file descriptor will be closed automatically. If `autoClose` is false,
then the file descriptor won't be closed, even if there's an error.
It is the application's responsibility to close it and make sure there's no
file descriptor leak.
By default, the stream will not emit a `'close'` event after it has been
destroyed. This is the opposite of the default for other `Writable` streams.
Set the `emitClose` option to `true` to change this behavior.
By providing the `fs` option it is possible to override the corresponding `fs`
implementations for `open`, `write`, `writev` and `close`. Overriding `write()`
without `writev()` can reduce performance as some optimizations (`_writev()`)
will be disabled. When providing the `fs` option, you must override `open`,
`close` and at least one of `write` and `writev`.
Like [`ReadStream`][], if `fd` is specified, [`WriteStream`][] will ignore the
`path` argument and will use the specified file descriptor. This means that no
`'open'` event will be emitted. `fd` should be blocking; non-blocking `fd`s
should be passed to [`net.Socket`][].
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
## `fs.exists(path, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
deprecated: v1.0.0
-->
> Stability: 0 - Deprecated: Use [`fs.stat()`][] or [`fs.access()`][] instead.
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `callback` {Function}
* `exists` {boolean}
Test whether or not the given path exists by checking with the file system.
Then call the `callback` argument with either true or false:
```js
fs.exists('/etc/passwd', (exists) => {
console.log(exists ? 'it\'s there' : 'no passwd!');
});
```
**The parameters for this callback are not consistent with other Node.js
callbacks.** Normally, the first parameter to a Node.js callback is an `err`
parameter, optionally followed by other parameters. The `fs.exists()` callback
has only one boolean parameter. This is one reason `fs.access()` is recommended
instead of `fs.exists()`.
Using `fs.exists()` to check for the existence of a file before calling
`fs.open()`, `fs.readFile()` or `fs.writeFile()` is not recommended. Doing
so introduces a race condition, since other processes may change the file's
state between the two calls. Instead, user code should open/read/write the
file directly and handle the error raised if the file does not exist.
**write (NOT RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.exists('myfile', (exists) => {
if (exists) {
console.error('myfile already exists');
} else {
fs.open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
writeMyData(fd);
});
}
});
```
**write (RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
if (err) {
if (err.code === 'EEXIST') {
console.error('myfile already exists');
return;
}
throw err;
}
writeMyData(fd);
});
```
**read (NOT RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.exists('myfile', (exists) => {
if (exists) {
fs.open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) throw err;
readMyData(fd);
});
} else {
console.error('myfile does not exist');
}
});
```
**read (RECOMMENDED)**
```js
fs.open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
if (err) {
if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
console.error('myfile does not exist');
return;
}
throw err;
}
readMyData(fd);
});
```
The "not recommended" examples above check for existence and then use the
file; the "recommended" examples are better because they use the file directly
and handle the error, if any.
In general, check for the existence of a file only if the file won’t be
used directly, for example when its existence is a signal from another
process.
## `fs.existsSync(path)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* Returns: {boolean}
Returns `true` if the path exists, `false` otherwise.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.exists()`][].
`fs.exists()` is deprecated, but `fs.existsSync()` is not. The `callback`
parameter to `fs.exists()` accepts parameters that are inconsistent with other
Node.js callbacks. `fs.existsSync()` does not use a callback.
```js
if (fs.existsSync('/etc/passwd')) {
console.log('The path exists.');
}
```
## `fs.fchmod(fd, mode, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.7
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `mode` {string|integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous fchmod(2). No arguments other than a possible exception
are given to the completion callback.
## `fs.fchmodSync(fd, mode)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.7
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `mode` {string|integer}
Synchronous fchmod(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.fchown(fd, uid, gid, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.7
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous fchown(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given
to the completion callback.
## `fs.fchownSync(fd, uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.7
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
Synchronous fchown(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.fdatasync(fd, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.96
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous fdatasync(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are
given to the completion callback.
## `fs.fdatasyncSync(fd)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.96
-->
* `fd` {integer}
Synchronous fdatasync(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.fstat(fd[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.95
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `stats` {fs.Stats}
Asynchronous fstat(2). The callback gets two arguments `(err, stats)` where
`stats` is an [`fs.Stats`][] object. `fstat()` is identical to [`stat()`][],
except that the file to be stat-ed is specified by the file descriptor `fd`.
## `fs.fstatSync(fd[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.95
changes:
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {fs.Stats}
Synchronous fstat(2).
## `fs.fsync(fd, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.96
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous fsync(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given
to the completion callback.
## `fs.fsyncSync(fd)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.96
-->
* `fd` {integer}
Synchronous fsync(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.ftruncate(fd[, len], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.8.6
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous ftruncate(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are
given to the completion callback.
If the file referred to by the file descriptor was larger than `len` bytes, only
the first `len` bytes will be retained in the file.
For example, the following program retains only the first four bytes of the
file:
```js
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8'));
// Prints: Node.js
// get the file descriptor of the file to be truncated
const fd = fs.openSync('temp.txt', 'r+');
// Truncate the file to first four bytes
fs.ftruncate(fd, 4, (err) => {
assert.ifError(err);
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8'));
});
// Prints: Node
```
If the file previously was shorter than `len` bytes, it is extended, and the
extended part is filled with null bytes (`'\0'`):
```js
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8'));
// Prints: Node.js
// get the file descriptor of the file to be truncated
const fd = fs.openSync('temp.txt', 'r+');
// Truncate the file to 10 bytes, whereas the actual size is 7 bytes
fs.ftruncate(fd, 10, (err) => {
assert.ifError(err);
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt'));
});
// Prints: <Buffer 4e 6f 64 65 2e 6a 73 00 00 00>
// ('Node.js\0\0\0' in UTF8)
```
The last three bytes are null bytes (`'\0'`), to compensate the over-truncation.
## `fs.ftruncateSync(fd[, len])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.8.6
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
Returns `undefined`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.ftruncate()`][].
## `fs.futimes(fd, atime, mtime, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v4.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/2387
description: Numeric strings, `NaN` and `Infinity` are now allowed
time specifiers.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Change the file system timestamps of the object referenced by the supplied file
descriptor. See [`fs.utimes()`][].
This function does not work on AIX versions before 7.1, it will return the
error `UV_ENOSYS`.
## `fs.futimesSync(fd, atime, mtime)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.2
changes:
- version: v4.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/2387
description: Numeric strings, `NaN` and `Infinity` are now allowed
time specifiers.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
Synchronous version of [`fs.futimes()`][]. Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.lchmod(path, mode, callback)`
<!-- YAML
deprecated: v0.4.7
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous lchmod(2). No arguments other than a possible exception
are given to the completion callback.
Only available on macOS.
## `fs.lchmodSync(path, mode)`
<!-- YAML
deprecated: v0.4.7
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer}
Synchronous lchmod(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.lchown(path, uid, gid, callback)`
<!-- YAML
changes:
- version: v10.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/21498
description: This API is no longer deprecated.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous lchown(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given
to the completion callback.
## `fs.lchownSync(path, uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
changes:
- version: v10.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/21498
description: This API is no longer deprecated.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
Synchronous lchown(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.link(existingPath, newPath, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `existingPath` and `newPath` parameters can be WHATWG
`URL` objects using `file:` protocol. Support is currently
still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `existingPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous link(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given to
the completion callback.
## `fs.linkSync(existingPath, newPath)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `existingPath` and `newPath` parameters can be WHATWG
`URL` objects using `file:` protocol. Support is currently
still *experimental*.
-->
* `existingPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
Synchronous link(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.lstat(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.30
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `stats` {fs.Stats}
Asynchronous lstat(2). The callback gets two arguments `(err, stats)` where
`stats` is a [`fs.Stats`][] object. `lstat()` is identical to `stat()`,
except that if `path` is a symbolic link, then the link itself is stat-ed,
not the file that it refers to.
## `fs.lstatSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.30
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {fs.Stats}
Synchronous lstat(2).
## `fs.mkdir(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.8
changes:
- version: v10.12.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/21875
description: The second argument can now be an `options` object with
`recursive` and `mode` properties.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object|integer}
* `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `mode` {string|integer} Not supported on Windows. **Default:** `0o777`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously creates a directory.
The callback is given a possible exception and, if `recursive` is `true`, the
first folder path created, `(err, [path])`.
The optional `options` argument can be an integer specifying `mode` (permission
and sticky bits), or an object with a `mode` property and a `recursive`
property indicating whether parent folders should be created. Calling
`fs.mkdir()` when `path` is a directory that exists results in an error only
when `recursive` is false.
```js
// Creates /tmp/a/apple, regardless of whether `/tmp` and /tmp/a exist.
fs.mkdir('/tmp/a/apple', { recursive: true }, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
});
```
On Windows, using `fs.mkdir()` on the root directory even with recursion will
result in an error:
```js
fs.mkdir('/', { recursive: true }, (err) => {
// => [Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, mkdir 'C:\']
});
```
See also: mkdir(2).
## `fs.mkdirSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v10.12.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/21875
description: The second argument can now be an `options` object with
`recursive` and `mode` properties.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object|integer}
* `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `mode` {string|integer} Not supported on Windows. **Default:** `0o777`.
* Returns: {string|undefined}
Synchronously creates a directory. Returns `undefined`, or if `recursive` is
`true`, the first folder path created.
This is the synchronous version of [`fs.mkdir()`][].
See also: mkdir(2).
## `fs.mkdtemp(prefix[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v5.10.0
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v6.2.1
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/6828
description: The `callback` parameter is optional now.
-->
* `prefix` {string}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `folder` {string}
Creates a unique temporary directory.
Generates six random characters to be appended behind a required
`prefix` to create a unique temporary directory. Due to platform
inconsistencies, avoid trailing `X` characters in `prefix`. Some platforms,
notably the BSDs, can return more than six random characters, and replace
trailing `X` characters in `prefix` with random characters.
The created folder path is passed as a string to the callback's second
parameter.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use.
```js
fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'foo-'), (err, folder) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(folder);
// Prints: /tmp/foo-itXde2 or C:\Users\...\AppData\Local\Temp\foo-itXde2
});
```
The `fs.mkdtemp()` method will append the six randomly selected characters
directly to the `prefix` string. For instance, given a directory `/tmp`, if the
intention is to create a temporary directory *within* `/tmp`, the `prefix`
must end with a trailing platform-specific path separator
(`require('path').sep`).
```js
// The parent directory for the new temporary directory
const tmpDir = os.tmpdir();
// This method is *INCORRECT*:
fs.mkdtemp(tmpDir, (err, folder) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(folder);
// Will print something similar to `/tmpabc123`.
// A new temporary directory is created at the file system root
// rather than *within* the /tmp directory.
});
// This method is *CORRECT*:
const { sep } = require('path');
fs.mkdtemp(`${tmpDir}${sep}`, (err, folder) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(folder);
// Will print something similar to `/tmp/abc123`.
// A new temporary directory is created within
// the /tmp directory.
});
```
## `fs.mkdtempSync(prefix[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v5.10.0
-->
* `prefix` {string}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {string}
Returns the created folder path.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.mkdtemp()`][].
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use.
## `fs.open(path[, flags[, mode]], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v11.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/23767
description: The `flags` argument is now optional and defaults to `'r'`.
- version: v9.9.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18801
description: The `as` and `as+` flags are supported now.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `flags` {string|number} See [support of file system `flags`][].
**Default:** `'r'`.
* `mode` {string|integer} **Default:** `0o666` (readable and writable)
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `fd` {integer}
Asynchronous file open. See open(2).
`mode` sets the file mode (permission and sticky bits), but only if the file was
created. On Windows, only the write permission can be manipulated; see
[`fs.chmod()`][].
The callback gets two arguments `(err, fd)`.
Some characters (`< > : " / \ | ? *`) are reserved under Windows as documented
by [Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces][]. Under NTFS, if the filename contains
a colon, Node.js will open a file system stream, as described by
[this MSDN page][MSDN-Using-Streams].
Functions based on `fs.open()` exhibit this behavior as well:
`fs.writeFile()`, `fs.readFile()`, etc.
## `fs.opendir(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
changes:
- version: v13.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30114
description: The `bufferSize` option was introduced.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `bufferSize` {number} Number of directory entries that are buffered
internally when reading from the directory. Higher values lead to better
performance but higher memory usage. **Default:** `32`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `dir` {fs.Dir}
Asynchronously open a directory. See opendir(3).
Creates an [`fs.Dir`][], which contains all further functions for reading from
and cleaning up the directory.
The `encoding` option sets the encoding for the `path` while opening the
directory and subsequent read operations.
## `fs.opendirSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
changes:
- version: v13.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30114
description: The `bufferSize` option was introduced.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `bufferSize` {number} Number of directory entries that are buffered
internally when reading from the directory. Higher values lead to better
performance but higher memory usage. **Default:** `32`
* Returns: {fs.Dir}
Synchronously open a directory. See opendir(3).
Creates an [`fs.Dir`][], which contains all further functions for reading from
and cleaning up the directory.
The `encoding` option sets the encoding for the `path` while opening the
directory and subsequent read operations.
## `fs.openSync(path[, flags, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v11.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/23767
description: The `flags` argument is now optional and defaults to `'r'`.
- version: v9.9.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18801
description: The `as` and `as+` flags are supported now.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `flags` {string|number} **Default:** `'r'`.
See [support of file system `flags`][].
* `mode` {string|integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* Returns: {number}
Returns an integer representing the file descriptor.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.open()`][].
## `fs.read(fd, buffer, offset, length, position, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be any `TypedArray`, or a
`DataView`.
- version: v7.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10382
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be a `Uint8Array`.
- version: v6.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4518
description: The `length` parameter can now be `0`.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `bytesRead` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer}
Read data from the file specified by `fd`.
`buffer` is the buffer that the data will be written to.
`offset` is the offset in the buffer to start writing at.
`length` is an integer specifying the number of bytes to read.
`position` is an argument specifying where to begin reading from in the file.
If `position` is `null`, data will be read from the current file position,
and the file position will be updated.
If `position` is an integer, the file position will remain unchanged.
The callback is given the three arguments, `(err, bytesRead, buffer)`.
If this method is invoked as its [`util.promisify()`][]ed version, it returns
a `Promise` for an `Object` with `bytesRead` and `buffer` properties.
## `fs.readdir(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.8
changes:
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22020
description: New option `withFileTypes` was added.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v6.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/5616
description: The `options` parameter was added.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `files` {string[]|Buffer[]|fs.Dirent[]}
Asynchronous readdir(3). Reads the contents of a directory.
The callback gets two arguments `(err, files)` where `files` is an array of
the names of the files in the directory excluding `'.'` and `'..'`.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the filenames passed to the callback. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the filenames returned will be passed as `Buffer` objects.
If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the `files` array will contain
[`fs.Dirent`][] objects.
## `fs.readdirSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22020
description: New option `withFileTypes` was added.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* Returns: {string[]|Buffer[]|fs.Dirent[]}
Synchronous readdir(3).
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the filenames returned. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the filenames returned will be passed as `Buffer` objects.
If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the result will contain
[`fs.Dirent`][] objects.
## `fs.readFile(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.29
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v5.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3740
description: The `callback` will always be called with `null` as the `error`
parameter in case of success.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `path` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|integer} filename or file descriptor
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `null`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'r'`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `data` {string|Buffer}
Asynchronously reads the entire contents of a file.
```js
fs.readFile('/etc/passwd', (err, data) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(data);
});
```
The callback is passed two arguments `(err, data)`, where `data` is the
contents of the file.
If no encoding is specified, then the raw buffer is returned.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding:
```js
fs.readFile('/etc/passwd', 'utf8', callback);
```
When the path is a directory, the behavior of `fs.readFile()` and
[`fs.readFileSync()`][] is platform-specific. On macOS, Linux, and Windows, an
error will be returned. On FreeBSD, a representation of the directory's contents
will be returned.
```js
// macOS, Linux, and Windows
fs.readFile('<directory>', (err, data) => {
// => [Error: EISDIR: illegal operation on a directory, read <directory>]
});
// FreeBSD
fs.readFile('<directory>', (err, data) => {
// => null, <data>
});
```
The `fs.readFile()` function buffers the entire file. To minimize memory costs,
when possible prefer streaming via `fs.createReadStream()`.
### File Descriptors
1. Any specified file descriptor has to support reading.
2. If a file descriptor is specified as the `path`, it will not be closed
automatically.
3. The reading will begin at the current position. For example, if the file
already had `'Hello World`' and six bytes are read with the file descriptor,
the call to `fs.readFile()` with the same file descriptor, would give
`'World'`, rather than `'Hello World'`.
## `fs.readFileSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.8
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `path` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|integer} filename or file descriptor
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `null`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'r'`.
* Returns: {string|Buffer}
Returns the contents of the `path`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.readFile()`][].
If the `encoding` option is specified then this function returns a
string. Otherwise it returns a buffer.
Similar to [`fs.readFile()`][], when the path is a directory, the behavior of
`fs.readFileSync()` is platform-specific.
```js
// macOS, Linux, and Windows
fs.readFileSync('<directory>');
// => [Error: EISDIR: illegal operation on a directory, read <directory>]
// FreeBSD
fs.readFileSync('<directory>'); // => <data>
```
## `fs.readlink(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `linkString` {string|Buffer}
Asynchronous readlink(2). The callback gets two arguments `(err,
linkString)`.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the link path passed to the callback. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the link path returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
## `fs.readlinkSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {string|Buffer}
Synchronous readlink(2). Returns the symbolic link's string value.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the link path returned. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the link path returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
## `fs.readSync(fd, buffer, offset, length, position)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be any `TypedArray` or a
`DataView`.
- version: v6.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4518
description: The `length` parameter can now be `0`.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {number}
Returns the number of `bytesRead`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.read()`][].
## `fs.realpath(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v8.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/13028
description: Pipe/Socket resolve support was added.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v6.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7899
description: Calling `realpath` now works again for various edge cases
on Windows.
- version: v6.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3594
description: The `cache` parameter was removed.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `resolvedPath` {string|Buffer}
Asynchronously computes the canonical pathname by resolving `.`, `..` and
symbolic links.
A canonical pathname is not necessarily unique. Hard links and bind mounts can
expose a file system entity through many pathnames.
This function behaves like realpath(3), with some exceptions:
1. No case conversion is performed on case-insensitive file systems.
2. The maximum number of symbolic links is platform-independent and generally
(much) higher than what the native realpath(3) implementation supports.
The `callback` gets two arguments `(err, resolvedPath)`. May use `process.cwd`
to resolve relative paths.
Only paths that can be converted to UTF8 strings are supported.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the path passed to the callback. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the path returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
If `path` resolves to a socket or a pipe, the function will return a system
dependent name for that object.
## `fs.realpath.native(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v9.2.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `resolvedPath` {string|Buffer}
Asynchronous realpath(3).
The `callback` gets two arguments `(err, resolvedPath)`.
Only paths that can be converted to UTF8 strings are supported.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the path passed to the callback. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the path returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
On Linux, when Node.js is linked against musl libc, the procfs file system must
be mounted on `/proc` in order for this function to work. Glibc does not have
this restriction.
## `fs.realpathSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v8.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/13028
description: Pipe/Socket resolve support was added.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v6.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7899
description: Calling `realpathSync` now works again for various edge cases
on Windows.
- version: v6.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3594
description: The `cache` parameter was removed.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {string|Buffer}
Returns the resolved pathname.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.realpath()`][].
## `fs.realpathSync.native(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v9.2.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {string|Buffer}
Synchronous realpath(3).
Only paths that can be converted to UTF8 strings are supported.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the path returned. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`,
the path returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
On Linux, when Node.js is linked against musl libc, the procfs file system must
be mounted on `/proc` in order for this function to work. Glibc does not have
this restriction.
## `fs.rename(oldPath, newPath, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `oldPath` and `newPath` parameters can be WHATWG `URL`
objects using `file:` protocol. Support is currently still
*experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `oldPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously rename file at `oldPath` to the pathname provided
as `newPath`. In the case that `newPath` already exists, it will
be overwritten. If there is a directory at `newPath`, an error will
be raised instead. No arguments other than a possible exception are
given to the completion callback.
See also: rename(2).
```js
fs.rename('oldFile.txt', 'newFile.txt', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('Rename complete!');
});
```
## `fs.renameSync(oldPath, newPath)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `oldPath` and `newPath` parameters can be WHATWG `URL`
objects using `file:` protocol. Support is currently still
*experimental*.
-->
* `oldPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
Synchronous rename(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.rmdir(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v13.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30644
description: The `maxBusyTries` option is renamed to `maxRetries`, and its
default is 0. The `emfileWait` option has been removed, and
`EMFILE` errors use the same retry logic as other errors. The
`retryDelay` option is now supported. `ENFILE` errors are now
retried.
- version: v12.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29168
description: The `recursive`, `maxBusyTries`, and `emfileWait` options are
now supported.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameters can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
> Stability: 1 - Recursive removal is experimental.
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `maxRetries` {integer} If an `EBUSY`, `EMFILE`, `ENFILE`, `ENOTEMPTY`, or
`EPERM` error is encountered, Node.js will retry the operation with a linear
backoff wait of `retryDelay` ms longer on each try. This option represents
the number of retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is
not `true`. **Default:** `0`.
* `recursive` {boolean} If `true`, perform a recursive directory removal. In
recursive mode, errors are not reported if `path` does not exist, and
operations are retried on failure. **Default:** `false`.
* `retryDelay` {integer} The amount of time in milliseconds to wait between
retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is not `true`.
**Default:** `100`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous rmdir(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are given
to the completion callback.
Using `fs.rmdir()` on a file (not a directory) results in an `ENOENT` error on
Windows and an `ENOTDIR` error on POSIX.
## `fs.rmdirSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v13.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30644
description: The `maxBusyTries` option is renamed to `maxRetries`, and its
default is 0. The `emfileWait` option has been removed, and
`EMFILE` errors use the same retry logic as other errors. The
`retryDelay` option is now supported. `ENFILE` errors are now
retried.
- version: v12.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29168
description: The `recursive`, `maxBusyTries`, and `emfileWait` options are
now supported.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameters can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
> Stability: 1 - Recursive removal is experimental.
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `maxRetries` {integer} If an `EBUSY`, `EMFILE`, `ENFILE`, `ENOTEMPTY`, or
`EPERM` error is encountered, Node.js will retry the operation with a linear
backoff wait of `retryDelay` ms longer on each try. This option represents
the number of retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is
not `true`. **Default:** `0`.
* `recursive` {boolean} If `true`, perform a recursive directory removal. In
recursive mode, errors are not reported if `path` does not exist, and
operations are retried on failure. **Default:** `false`.
* `retryDelay` {integer} The amount of time in milliseconds to wait between
retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is not `true`.
**Default:** `100`.
Synchronous rmdir(2). Returns `undefined`.
Using `fs.rmdirSync()` on a file (not a directory) results in an `ENOENT` error
on Windows and an `ENOTDIR` error on POSIX.
## `fs.stat(path[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `stats` {fs.Stats}
Asynchronous stat(2). The callback gets two arguments `(err, stats)` where
`stats` is an [`fs.Stats`][] object.
In case of an error, the `err.code` will be one of [Common System Errors][].
Using `fs.stat()` to check for the existence of a file before calling
`fs.open()`, `fs.readFile()` or `fs.writeFile()` is not recommended.
Instead, user code should open/read/write the file directly and handle the
error raised if the file is not available.
To check if a file exists without manipulating it afterwards, [`fs.access()`][]
is recommended.
For example, given the following folder structure:
```fundamental
- txtDir
-- file.txt
- app.js
```
The next program will check for the stats of the given paths:
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const pathsToCheck = ['./txtDir', './txtDir/file.txt'];
for (let i = 0; i < pathsToCheck.length; i++) {
fs.stat(pathsToCheck[i], function(err, stats) {
console.log(stats.isDirectory());
console.log(stats);
});
}
```
The resulting output will resemble:
```console
true
Stats {
dev: 16777220,
mode: 16877,
nlink: 3,
uid: 501,
gid: 20,
rdev: 0,
blksize: 4096,
ino: 14214262,
size: 96,
blocks: 0,
atimeMs: 1561174653071.963,
mtimeMs: 1561174614583.3518,
ctimeMs: 1561174626623.5366,
birthtimeMs: 1561174126937.2893,
atime: 2019-06-22T03:37:33.072Z,
mtime: 2019-06-22T03:36:54.583Z,
ctime: 2019-06-22T03:37:06.624Z,
birthtime: 2019-06-22T03:28:46.937Z
}
false
Stats {
dev: 16777220,
mode: 33188,
nlink: 1,
uid: 501,
gid: 20,
rdev: 0,
blksize: 4096,
ino: 14214074,
size: 8,
blocks: 8,
atimeMs: 1561174616618.8555,
mtimeMs: 1561174614584,
ctimeMs: 1561174614583.8145,
birthtimeMs: 1561174007710.7478,
atime: 2019-06-22T03:36:56.619Z,
mtime: 2019-06-22T03:36:54.584Z,
ctime: 2019-06-22T03:36:54.584Z,
birthtime: 2019-06-22T03:26:47.711Z
}
```
## `fs.statSync(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {fs.Stats}
Synchronous stat(2).
## `fs.symlink(target, path[, type], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `target` and `path` parameters can be WHATWG `URL` objects
using `file:` protocol. Support is currently still
*experimental*.
- version: v12.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/23724
description: If the `type` argument is left undefined, Node will autodetect
`target` type and automatically select `dir` or `file`
-->
* `target` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `type` {string}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous symlink(2) which creates the link called `path` pointing to
`target`. No arguments other than a possible exception are given to the
completion callback.
The `type` argument is only available on Windows and ignored on other platforms.
It can be set to `'dir'`, `'file'`, or `'junction'`. If the `type` argument is
not set, Node.js will autodetect `target` type and use `'file'` or `'dir'`. If
the `target` does not exist, `'file'` will be used. Windows junction points
require the destination path to be absolute. When using `'junction'`, the
`target` argument will automatically be normalized to absolute path.
Relative targets are relative to the link’s parent directory.
```js
fs.symlink('./mew', './example/mewtwo', callback);
```
The above example creates a symbolic link `mewtwo` in the `example` which points
to `mew` in the same directory:
```bash
$ tree example/
example/
├── mew
└── mewtwo -> ./mew
```
## `fs.symlinkSync(target, path[, type])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `target` and `path` parameters can be WHATWG `URL` objects
using `file:` protocol. Support is currently still
*experimental*.
- version: v12.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/23724
description: If the `type` argument is left undefined, Node will autodetect
`target` type and automatically select `dir` or `file`
-->
* `target` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `type` {string}
Returns `undefined`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.symlink()`][].
## `fs.truncate(path[, len], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.8.6
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronous truncate(2). No arguments other than a possible exception are
given to the completion callback. A file descriptor can also be passed as the
first argument. In this case, `fs.ftruncate()` is called.
Passing a file descriptor is deprecated and may result in an error being thrown
in the future.
## `fs.truncateSync(path[, len])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.8.6
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
Synchronous truncate(2). Returns `undefined`. A file descriptor can also be
passed as the first argument. In this case, `fs.ftruncateSync()` is called.
Passing a file descriptor is deprecated and may result in an error being thrown
in the future.
## `fs.unlink(path, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Asynchronously removes a file or symbolic link. No arguments other than a
possible exception are given to the completion callback.
```js
// Assuming that 'path/file.txt' is a regular file.
fs.unlink('path/file.txt', (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('path/file.txt was deleted');
});
```
`fs.unlink()` will not work on a directory, empty or otherwise. To remove a
directory, use [`fs.rmdir()`][].
See also: unlink(2).
## `fs.unlinkSync(path)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
Synchronous unlink(2). Returns `undefined`.
## `fs.unwatchFile(filename[, listener])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
-->
* `filename` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `listener` {Function} Optional, a listener previously attached using
`fs.watchFile()`
Stop watching for changes on `filename`. If `listener` is specified, only that
particular listener is removed. Otherwise, *all* listeners are removed,
effectively stopping watching of `filename`.
Calling `fs.unwatchFile()` with a filename that is not being watched is a
no-op, not an error.
Using [`fs.watch()`][] is more efficient than `fs.watchFile()` and
`fs.unwatchFile()`. `fs.watch()` should be used instead of `fs.watchFile()`
and `fs.unwatchFile()` when possible.
## `fs.utimes(path, atime, mtime, callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.2
changes:
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v8.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/11919
description: "`NaN`, `Infinity`, and `-Infinity` are no longer valid time
specifiers."
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v4.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/2387
description: Numeric strings, `NaN` and `Infinity` are now allowed
time specifiers.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
Change the file system timestamps of the object referenced by `path`.
The `atime` and `mtime` arguments follow these rules:
* Values can be either numbers representing Unix epoch time, `Date`s, or a
numeric string like `'123456789.0'`.
* If the value can not be converted to a number, or is `NaN`, `Infinity` or
`-Infinity`, an `Error` will be thrown.
## `fs.utimesSync(path, atime, mtime)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.4.2
changes:
- version: v8.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/11919
description: "`NaN`, `Infinity`, and `-Infinity` are no longer valid time
specifiers."
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `path` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using `file:`
protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v4.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/2387
description: Numeric strings, `NaN` and `Infinity` are now allowed
time specifiers.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
Returns `undefined`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.utimes()`][].
## `fs.watch(filename[, options][, listener])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.5.10
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `filename` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7831
description: The passed `options` object will never be modified.
-->
* `filename` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `persistent` {boolean} Indicates whether the process should continue to run
as long as files are being watched. **Default:** `true`.
* `recursive` {boolean} Indicates whether all subdirectories should be
watched, or only the current directory. This applies when a directory is
specified, and only on supported platforms (See [Caveats][]). **Default:**
`false`.
* `encoding` {string} Specifies the character encoding to be used for the
filename passed to the listener. **Default:** `'utf8'`.
* `listener` {Function|undefined} **Default:** `undefined`
* `eventType` {string}
* `filename` {string|Buffer}
* Returns: {fs.FSWatcher}
Watch for changes on `filename`, where `filename` is either a file or a
directory.
The second argument is optional. If `options` is provided as a string, it
specifies the `encoding`. Otherwise `options` should be passed as an object.
The listener callback gets two arguments `(eventType, filename)`. `eventType`
is either `'rename'` or `'change'`, and `filename` is the name of the file
which triggered the event.
On most platforms, `'rename'` is emitted whenever a filename appears or
disappears in the directory.
The listener callback is attached to the `'change'` event fired by
[`fs.FSWatcher`][], but it is not the same thing as the `'change'` value of
`eventType`.
### Caveats
<!--type=misc-->
The `fs.watch` API is not 100% consistent across platforms, and is
unavailable in some situations.
The recursive option is only supported on macOS and Windows.
An `ERR_FEATURE_UNAVAILABLE_ON_PLATFORM` exception will be thrown
when the option is used on a platform that does not support it.
#### Availability
<!--type=misc-->
This feature depends on the underlying operating system providing a way
to be notified of filesystem changes.
* On Linux systems, this uses [`inotify(7)`][].
* On BSD systems, this uses [`kqueue(2)`][].
* On macOS, this uses [`kqueue(2)`][] for files and [`FSEvents`][] for
directories.
* On SunOS systems (including Solaris and SmartOS), this uses [`event ports`][].
* On Windows systems, this feature depends on [`ReadDirectoryChangesW`][].
* On Aix systems, this feature depends on [`AHAFS`][], which must be enabled.
If the underlying functionality is not available for some reason, then
`fs.watch` will not be able to function. For example, watching files or
directories can be unreliable, and in some cases impossible, on network file
systems (NFS, SMB, etc), or host file systems when using virtualization software
such as Vagrant, Docker, etc.
It is still possible to use `fs.watchFile()`, which uses stat polling, but
this method is slower and less reliable.
#### Inodes
<!--type=misc-->
On Linux and macOS systems, `fs.watch()` resolves the path to an [inode][] and
watches the inode. If the watched path is deleted and recreated, it is assigned
a new inode. The watch will emit an event for the delete but will continue
watching the *original* inode. Events for the new inode will not be emitted.
This is expected behavior.
AIX files retain the same inode for the lifetime of a file. Saving and closing a
watched file on AIX will result in two notifications (one for adding new
content, and one for truncation).
#### Filename Argument
<!--type=misc-->
Providing `filename` argument in the callback is only supported on Linux,
macOS, Windows, and AIX. Even on supported platforms, `filename` is not always
guaranteed to be provided. Therefore, don't assume that `filename` argument is
always provided in the callback, and have some fallback logic if it is `null`.
```js
fs.watch('somedir', (eventType, filename) => {
console.log(`event type is: ${eventType}`);
if (filename) {
console.log(`filename provided: ${filename}`);
} else {
console.log('filename not provided');
}
});
```
## `fs.watchFile(filename[, options], listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.31
changes:
- version: v7.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10739
description: The `filename` parameter can be a WHATWG `URL` object using
`file:` protocol. Support is currently still *experimental*.
-->
* `filename` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `persistent` {boolean} **Default:** `true`
* `interval` {integer} **Default:** `5007`
* `listener` {Function}
* `current` {fs.Stats}
* `previous` {fs.Stats}
Watch for changes on `filename`. The callback `listener` will be called each
time the file is accessed.
The `options` argument may be omitted. If provided, it should be an object. The
`options` object may contain a boolean named `persistent` that indicates
whether the process should continue to run as long as files are being watched.
The `options` object may specify an `interval` property indicating how often the
target should be polled in milliseconds.
The `listener` gets two arguments the current stat object and the previous
stat object:
```js
fs.watchFile('message.text', (curr, prev) => {
console.log(`the current mtime is: ${curr.mtime}`);
console.log(`the previous mtime was: ${prev.mtime}`);
});
```
These stat objects are instances of `fs.Stat`.
To be notified when the file was modified, not just accessed, it is necessary
to compare `curr.mtime` and `prev.mtime`.
When an `fs.watchFile` operation results in an `ENOENT` error, it
will invoke the listener once, with all the fields zeroed (or, for dates, the
Unix Epoch). If the file is created later on, the listener will be called
again, with the latest stat objects. This is a change in functionality since
v0.10.
Using [`fs.watch()`][] is more efficient than `fs.watchFile` and
`fs.unwatchFile`. `fs.watch` should be used instead of `fs.watchFile` and
`fs.unwatchFile` when possible.
When a file being watched by `fs.watchFile()` disappears and reappears,
then the `previousStat` reported in the second callback event (the file's
reappearance) will be the same as the `previousStat` of the first callback
event (its disappearance).
This happens when:
* the file is deleted, followed by a restore
* the file is renamed and then renamed a second time back to its original name
## `fs.write(fd, buffer[, offset[, length[, position]]], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.0.2
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `buffer` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be any `TypedArray` or a
`DataView`
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10382
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be a `Uint8Array`.
- version: v7.2.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7856
description: The `offset` and `length` parameters are optional now.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `bytesWritten` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
Write `buffer` to the file specified by `fd`.
`offset` determines the part of the buffer to be written, and `length` is
an integer specifying the number of bytes to write.
`position` refers to the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If `typeof position !== 'number'`, the data will be written
at the current position. See pwrite(2).
The callback will be given three arguments `(err, bytesWritten, buffer)` where
`bytesWritten` specifies how many _bytes_ were written from `buffer`.
If this method is invoked as its [`util.promisify()`][]ed version, it returns
a `Promise` for an `Object` with `bytesWritten` and `buffer` properties.
It is unsafe to use `fs.write()` multiple times on the same file without waiting
for the callback. For this scenario, [`fs.createWriteStream()`][] is
recommended.
On Linux, positional writes don't work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
## `fs.write(fd, string[, position[, encoding]], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.5
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `string` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.2.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7856
description: The `position` parameter is optional now.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `string` {string}
* `position` {integer}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `written` {integer}
* `string` {string}
Write `string` to the file specified by `fd`. If `string` is not a string, then
an exception will be thrown.
`position` refers to the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If `typeof position !== 'number'` the data will be written at
the current position. See pwrite(2).
`encoding` is the expected string encoding.
The callback will receive the arguments `(err, written, string)` where `written`
specifies how many _bytes_ the passed string required to be written. Bytes
written is not necessarily the same as string characters written. See
[`Buffer.byteLength`][].
It is unsafe to use `fs.write()` multiple times on the same file without waiting
for the callback. For this scenario, [`fs.createWriteStream()`][] is
recommended.
On Linux, positional writes don't work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
On Windows, if the file descriptor is connected to the console (e.g. `fd == 1`
or `stdout`) a string containing non-ASCII characters will not be rendered
properly by default, regardless of the encoding used.
It is possible to configure the console to render UTF-8 properly by changing the
active codepage with the `chcp 65001` command. See the [chcp][] docs for more
details.
## `fs.writeFile(file, data[, options], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.29
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `data` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `data` parameter can now be any `TypedArray` or a
`DataView`.
- version: v10.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12562
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will throw a `TypeError` at runtime.
- version: v7.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10382
description: The `data` parameter can now be a `Uint8Array`.
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7897
description: The `callback` parameter is no longer optional. Not passing
it will emit a deprecation warning with id DEP0013.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `file` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `file` {string|Buffer|URL|integer} filename or file descriptor
* `data` {string|Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'w'`.
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
When `file` is a filename, asynchronously writes data to the file, replacing the
file if it already exists. `data` can be a string or a buffer.
When `file` is a file descriptor, the behavior is similar to calling
`fs.write()` directly (which is recommended). See the notes below on using
a file descriptor.
The `encoding` option is ignored if `data` is a buffer.
```js
const data = new Uint8Array(Buffer.from('Hello Node.js'));
fs.writeFile('message.txt', data, (err) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log('The file has been saved!');
});
```
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding:
```js
fs.writeFile('message.txt', 'Hello Node.js', 'utf8', callback);
```
It is unsafe to use `fs.writeFile()` multiple times on the same file without
waiting for the callback. For this scenario, [`fs.createWriteStream()`][] is
recommended.
### Using `fs.writeFile()` with File Descriptors
When `file` is a file descriptor, the behavior is almost identical to directly
calling `fs.write()` like:
```javascript
fs.write(fd, Buffer.from(data, options.encoding), callback);
```
The difference from directly calling `fs.write()` is that under some unusual
conditions, `fs.write()` may write only part of the buffer and will need to be
retried to write the remaining data, whereas `fs.writeFile()` will retry until
the data is entirely written (or an error occurs).
The implications of this are a common source of confusion. In
the file descriptor case, the file is not replaced! The data is not necessarily
written to the beginning of the file, and the file's original data may remain
before and/or after the newly written data.
For example, if `fs.writeFile()` is called twice in a row, first to write the
string `'Hello'`, then to write the string `', World'`, the file would contain
`'Hello, World'`, and might contain some of the file's original data (depending
on the size of the original file, and the position of the file descriptor). If
a file name had been used instead of a descriptor, the file would be guaranteed
to contain only `', World'`.
## `fs.writeFileSync(file, data[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.29
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `data` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `data` parameter can now be any `TypedArray` or a
`DataView`.
- version: v7.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10382
description: The `data` parameter can now be a `Uint8Array`.
- version: v5.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/3163
description: The `file` parameter can be a file descriptor now.
-->
* `file` {string|Buffer|URL|integer} filename or file descriptor
* `data` {string|Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'w'`.
Returns `undefined`.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.writeFile()`][].
## `fs.writeSync(fd, buffer[, offset[, length[, position]]])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.21
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `buffer` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v10.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22150
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be any `TypedArray` or a
`DataView`.
- version: v7.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/10382
description: The `buffer` parameter can now be a `Uint8Array`.
- version: v7.2.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7856
description: The `offset` and `length` parameters are optional now.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffer` {Buffer|TypedArray|DataView}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {number} The number of bytes written.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.write(fd, buffer...)`][].
## `fs.writeSync(fd, string[, position[, encoding]])`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.5
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `string` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
- version: v7.2.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/7856
description: The `position` parameter is optional now.
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `string` {string}
* `position` {integer}
* `encoding` {string}
* Returns: {number} The number of bytes written.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.write(fd, string...)`][].
## `fs.writev(fd, buffers[, position], callback)`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.9.0
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffers` {ArrayBufferView[]}
* `position` {integer}
* `callback` {Function}
* `err` {Error}
* `bytesWritten` {integer}
* `buffers` {ArrayBufferView[]}
Write an array of `ArrayBufferView`s to the file specified by `fd` using
`writev()`.
`position` is the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If `typeof position !== 'number'`, the data will be written
at the current position.
The callback will be given three arguments: `err`, `bytesWritten`, and
`buffers`. `bytesWritten` is how many bytes were written from `buffers`.
If this method is [`util.promisify()`][]ed, it returns a `Promise` for an
`Object` with `bytesWritten` and `buffers` properties.
It is unsafe to use `fs.writev()` multiple times on the same file without
waiting for the callback. For this scenario, use [`fs.createWriteStream()`][].
On Linux, positional writes don't work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
## `fs.writevSync(fd, buffers[, position])`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.9.0
-->
* `fd` {integer}
* `buffers` {ArrayBufferView[]}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {number} The number of bytes written.
For detailed information, see the documentation of the asynchronous version of
this API: [`fs.writev()`][].
## `fs` Promises API
The `fs.promises` API provides an alternative set of asynchronous file system
methods that return `Promise` objects rather than using callbacks. The
API is accessible via `require('fs').promises` or `require('fs/promises')`.
### class: `FileHandle`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
A `FileHandle` object is a wrapper for a numeric file descriptor.
Instances of `FileHandle` are distinct from numeric file descriptors
in that they provide an object oriented API for working with files.
If a `FileHandle` is not closed using the
`filehandle.close()` method, it might automatically close the file descriptor
and will emit a process warning, thereby helping to prevent memory leaks.
Please do not rely on this behavior in your code because it is unreliable and
your file may not be closed. Instead, always explicitly close `FileHandle`s.
Node.js may change this behavior in the future.
Instances of the `FileHandle` object are created internally by the
`fsPromises.open()` method.
Unlike the callback-based API (`fs.fstat()`, `fs.fchown()`, `fs.fchmod()`, and
so on), a numeric file descriptor is not used by the promise-based API. Instead,
the promise-based API uses the `FileHandle` class in order to help avoid
accidental leaking of unclosed file descriptors after a `Promise` is resolved or
rejected.
#### `filehandle.appendFile(data, options)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `data` {string|Buffer}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Alias of [`filehandle.writeFile()`][].
When operating on file handles, the mode cannot be changed from what it was set
to with [`fsPromises.open()`][]. Therefore, this is equivalent to
[`filehandle.writeFile()`][].
#### `filehandle.chmod(mode)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `mode` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Modifies the permissions on the file. The `Promise` is resolved with no
arguments upon success.
#### `filehandle.chown(uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Changes the ownership of the file then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments
upon success.
#### `filehandle.close()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* Returns: {Promise} A `Promise` that will be resolved once the underlying
file descriptor is closed, or will be rejected if an error occurs while
closing.
Closes the file descriptor.
```js
const fsPromises = require('fs').promises;
async function openAndClose() {
let filehandle;
try {
filehandle = await fsPromises.open('thefile.txt', 'r');
} finally {
if (filehandle !== undefined)
await filehandle.close();
}
}
```
#### `filehandle.datasync()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous fdatasync(2). The `Promise` is resolved with no arguments upon
success.
#### `filehandle.fd`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* {number} The numeric file descriptor managed by the `FileHandle` object.
#### `filehandle.read(buffer, offset, length, position)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `buffer` {Buffer|Uint8Array}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Read data from the file.
`buffer` is the buffer that the data will be written to.
`offset` is the offset in the buffer to start writing at.
`length` is an integer specifying the number of bytes to read.
`position` is an argument specifying where to begin reading from in the file.
If `position` is `null`, data will be read from the current file position,
and the file position will be updated.
If `position` is an integer, the file position will remain unchanged.
Following successful read, the `Promise` is resolved with an object with a
`bytesRead` property specifying the number of bytes read, and a `buffer`
property that is a reference to the passed in `buffer` argument.
#### `filehandle.readFile(options)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `null`
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously reads the entire contents of a file.
The `Promise` is resolved with the contents of the file. If no encoding is
specified (using `options.encoding`), the data is returned as a `Buffer`
object. Otherwise, the data will be a string.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
The `FileHandle` has to support reading.
If one or more `filehandle.read()` calls are made on a file handle and then a
`filehandle.readFile()` call is made, the data will be read from the current
position till the end of the file. It doesn't always read from the beginning
of the file.
#### `filehandle.stat([options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Retrieves the [`fs.Stats`][] for the file.
#### `filehandle.sync()`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous fsync(2). The `Promise` is resolved with no arguments upon
success.
#### `filehandle.truncate(len)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
* Returns: {Promise}
Truncates the file then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments upon success.
If the file was larger than `len` bytes, only the first `len` bytes will be
retained in the file.
For example, the following program retains only the first four bytes of the
file:
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const fsPromises = fs.promises;
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8'));
// Prints: Node.js
async function doTruncate() {
let filehandle = null;
try {
filehandle = await fsPromises.open('temp.txt', 'r+');
await filehandle.truncate(4);
} finally {
if (filehandle) {
// Close the file if it is opened.
await filehandle.close();
}
}
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8')); // Prints: Node
}
doTruncate().catch(console.error);
```
If the file previously was shorter than `len` bytes, it is extended, and the
extended part is filled with null bytes (`'\0'`):
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const fsPromises = fs.promises;
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8'));
// Prints: Node.js
async function doTruncate() {
let filehandle = null;
try {
filehandle = await fsPromises.open('temp.txt', 'r+');
await filehandle.truncate(10);
} finally {
if (filehandle) {
// Close the file if it is opened.
await filehandle.close();
}
}
console.log(fs.readFileSync('temp.txt', 'utf8')); // Prints Node.js\0\0\0
}
doTruncate().catch(console.error);
```
The last three bytes are null bytes (`'\0'`), to compensate the over-truncation.
#### `filehandle.utimes(atime, mtime)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
* Returns: {Promise}
Change the file system timestamps of the object referenced by the `FileHandle`
then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments upon success.
This function does not work on AIX versions before 7.1, it will resolve the
`Promise` with an error using code `UV_ENOSYS`.
#### `filehandle.write(buffer[, offset[, length[, position]]])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `buffer` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
buffers anymore.
-->
* `buffer` {Buffer|Uint8Array}
* `offset` {integer}
* `length` {integer}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Write `buffer` to the file.
The `Promise` is resolved with an object containing a `bytesWritten` property
identifying the number of bytes written, and a `buffer` property containing
a reference to the `buffer` written.
`offset` determines the part of the buffer to be written, and `length` is
an integer specifying the number of bytes to write.
`position` refers to the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If `typeof position !== 'number'`, the data will be written
at the current position. See pwrite(2).
It is unsafe to use `filehandle.write()` multiple times on the same file
without waiting for the `Promise` to be resolved (or rejected). For this
scenario, use [`fs.createWriteStream()`][].
On Linux, positional writes do not work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
#### `filehandle.write(string[, position[, encoding]])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `string` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
-->
* `string` {string}
* `position` {integer}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Write `string` to the file. If `string` is not a string, then
an exception will be thrown.
The `Promise` is resolved with an object containing a `bytesWritten` property
identifying the number of bytes written, and a `buffer` property containing
a reference to the `string` written.
`position` refers to the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If the type of `position` is not a `number` the data
will be written at the current position. See pwrite(2).
`encoding` is the expected string encoding.
It is unsafe to use `filehandle.write()` multiple times on the same file
without waiting for the `Promise` to be resolved (or rejected). For this
scenario, use [`fs.createWriteStream()`][].
On Linux, positional writes do not work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
#### `filehandle.writeFile(data, options)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `data` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
-->
* `data` {string|Buffer|Uint8Array}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously writes data to a file, replacing the file if it already exists.
`data` can be a string or a buffer. The `Promise` will be resolved with no
arguments upon success.
The `encoding` option is ignored if `data` is a buffer.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
The `FileHandle` has to support writing.
It is unsafe to use `filehandle.writeFile()` multiple times on the same file
without waiting for the `Promise` to be resolved (or rejected).
If one or more `filehandle.write()` calls are made on a file handle and then a
`filehandle.writeFile()` call is made, the data will be written from the
current position till the end of the file. It doesn't always write from the
beginning of the file.
#### `filehandle.writev(buffers[, position])`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.9.0
-->
* `buffers` {ArrayBufferView[]}
* `position` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Write an array of `ArrayBufferView`s to the file.
The `Promise` is resolved with an object containing a `bytesWritten` property
identifying the number of bytes written, and a `buffers` property containing
a reference to the `buffers` input.
`position` is the offset from the beginning of the file where this data
should be written. If `typeof position !== 'number'`, the data will be written
at the current position.
It is unsafe to call `writev()` multiple times on the same file without waiting
for the previous operation to complete.
On Linux, positional writes don't work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
### `fsPromises.access(path[, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `fs.constants.F_OK`
* Returns: {Promise}
Tests a user's permissions for the file or directory specified by `path`.
The `mode` argument is an optional integer that specifies the accessibility
checks to be performed. Check [File Access Constants][] for possible values
of `mode`. It is possible to create a mask consisting of the bitwise OR of
two or more values (e.g. `fs.constants.W_OK | fs.constants.R_OK`).
If the accessibility check is successful, the `Promise` is resolved with no
value. If any of the accessibility checks fail, the `Promise` is rejected
with an `Error` object. The following example checks if the file
`/etc/passwd` can be read and written by the current process.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
const fsPromises = fs.promises;
fsPromises.access('/etc/passwd', fs.constants.R_OK | fs.constants.W_OK)
.then(() => console.log('can access'))
.catch(() => console.error('cannot access'));
```
Using `fsPromises.access()` to check for the accessibility of a file before
calling `fsPromises.open()` is not recommended. Doing so introduces a race
condition, since other processes may change the file's state between the two
calls. Instead, user code should open/read/write the file directly and handle
the error raised if the file is not accessible.
### `fsPromises.appendFile(path, data[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|FileHandle} filename or `FileHandle`
* `data` {string|Buffer}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'a'`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously append data to a file, creating the file if it does not yet
exist. `data` can be a string or a [`Buffer`][]. The `Promise` will be
resolved with no arguments upon success.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
The `path` may be specified as a `FileHandle` that has been opened
for appending (using `fsPromises.open()`).
### `fsPromises.chmod(path, mode)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {string|integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Changes the permissions of a file then resolves the `Promise` with no
arguments upon succces.
### `fsPromises.chown(path, uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Changes the ownership of a file then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments
upon success.
### `fsPromises.copyFile(src, dest[, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `src` {string|Buffer|URL} source filename to copy
* `dest` {string|Buffer|URL} destination filename of the copy operation
* `mode` {integer} modifiers for copy operation. **Default:** `0`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously copies `src` to `dest`. By default, `dest` is overwritten if it
already exists. The `Promise` will be resolved with no arguments upon success.
Node.js makes no guarantees about the atomicity of the copy operation. If an
error occurs after the destination file has been opened for writing, Node.js
will attempt to remove the destination.
`mode` is an optional integer that specifies the behavior
of the copy operation. It is possible to create a mask consisting of the bitwise
OR of two or more values (e.g.
`fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL | fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`).
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_EXCL`: The copy operation will fail if `dest` already
exists.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE`: The copy operation will attempt to create a
copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write, then a
fallback copy mechanism is used.
* `fs.constants.COPYFILE_FICLONE_FORCE`: The copy operation will attempt to
create a copy-on-write reflink. If the platform does not support copy-on-write,
then the operation will fail.
```js
const {
promises: fsPromises,
constants: {
COPYFILE_EXCL
}
} = require('fs');
// destination.txt will be created or overwritten by default.
fsPromises.copyFile('source.txt', 'destination.txt')
.then(() => console.log('source.txt was copied to destination.txt'))
.catch(() => console.log('The file could not be copied'));
// By using COPYFILE_EXCL, the operation will fail if destination.txt exists.
fsPromises.copyFile('source.txt', 'destination.txt', COPYFILE_EXCL)
.then(() => console.log('source.txt was copied to destination.txt'))
.catch(() => console.log('The file could not be copied'));
```
### `fsPromises.lchmod(path, mode)`
<!-- YAML
deprecated: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `mode` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Changes the permissions on a symbolic link then resolves the `Promise` with
no arguments upon success. This method is only implemented on macOS.
### `fsPromises.lchown(path, uid, gid)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v10.6.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/21498
description: This API is no longer deprecated.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `uid` {integer}
* `gid` {integer}
* Returns: {Promise}
Changes the ownership on a symbolic link then resolves the `Promise` with
no arguments upon success.
### `fsPromises.link(existingPath, newPath)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `existingPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous link(2). The `Promise` is resolved with no arguments upon success.
### `fsPromises.lstat(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous lstat(2). The `Promise` is resolved with the [`fs.Stats`][] object
for the given symbolic link `path`.
### `fsPromises.mkdir(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object|integer}
* `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* `mode` {string|integer} Not supported on Windows. **Default:** `0o777`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously creates a directory then resolves the `Promise` with either no
arguments, or the first folder path created if `recursive` is `true`.
The optional `options` argument can be an integer specifying `mode` (permission
and sticky bits), or an object with a `mode` property and a `recursive`
property indicating whether parent folders should be created. Calling
`fsPromises.mkdir()` when `path` is a directory that exists results in a
rejection only when `recursive` is false.
### `fsPromises.mkdtemp(prefix[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `prefix` {string}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Creates a unique temporary directory and resolves the `Promise` with the created
folder path. A unique directory name is generated by appending six random
characters to the end of the provided `prefix`. Due to platform
inconsistencies, avoid trailing `X` characters in `prefix`. Some platforms,
notably the BSDs, can return more than six random characters, and replace
trailing `X` characters in `prefix` with random characters.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use.
```js
fsPromises.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'foo-'))
.catch(console.error);
```
The `fsPromises.mkdtemp()` method will append the six randomly selected
characters directly to the `prefix` string. For instance, given a directory
`/tmp`, if the intention is to create a temporary directory *within* `/tmp`, the
`prefix` must end with a trailing platform-specific path separator
(`require('path').sep`).
### `fsPromises.open(path, flags[, mode])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v11.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/23767
description: The `flags` argument is now optional and defaults to `'r'`.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `flags` {string|number} See [support of file system `flags`][].
**Default:** `'r'`.
* `mode` {string|integer} **Default:** `0o666` (readable and writable)
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous file open that returns a `Promise` that, when resolved, yields a
`FileHandle` object. See open(2).
`mode` sets the file mode (permission and sticky bits), but only if the file was
created.
Some characters (`< > : " / \ | ? *`) are reserved under Windows as documented
by [Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces][]. Under NTFS, if the filename contains
a colon, Node.js will open a file system stream, as described by
[this MSDN page][MSDN-Using-Streams].
### `fsPromises.opendir(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v12.12.0
changes:
- version: v13.1.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30114
description: The `bufferSize` option was introduced.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `bufferSize` {number} Number of directory entries that are buffered
internally when reading from the directory. Higher values lead to better
performance but higher memory usage. **Default:** `32`
* Returns: {Promise} containing {fs.Dir}
Asynchronously open a directory. See opendir(3).
Creates an [`fs.Dir`][], which contains all further functions for reading from
and cleaning up the directory.
The `encoding` option sets the encoding for the `path` while opening the
directory and subsequent read operations.
Example using async iteration:
```js
const fs = require('fs');
async function print(path) {
const dir = await fs.promises.opendir(path);
for await (const dirent of dir) {
console.log(dirent.name);
}
}
print('./').catch(console.error);
```
### `fsPromises.readdir(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v10.11.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/22020
description: New option `withFileTypes` was added.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
* Returns: {Promise}
Reads the contents of a directory then resolves the `Promise` with an array
of the names of the files in the directory excluding `'.'` and `'..'`.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the filenames. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`, the filenames returned
will be passed as `Buffer` objects.
If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the resolved array will contain
[`fs.Dirent`][] objects.
```js
const fs = require('fs');
async function print(path) {
const files = await fs.promises.readdir(path);
for (const file of files) {
console.log(file);
}
}
print('./').catch(console.error);
```
### `fsPromises.readFile(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL|FileHandle} filename or `FileHandle`
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `null`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'r'`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously reads the entire contents of a file.
The `Promise` is resolved with the contents of the file. If no encoding is
specified (using `options.encoding`), the data is returned as a `Buffer`
object. Otherwise, the data will be a string.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
When the `path` is a directory, the behavior of `fsPromises.readFile()` is
platform-specific. On macOS, Linux, and Windows, the promise will be rejected
with an error. On FreeBSD, a representation of the directory's contents will be
returned.
Any specified `FileHandle` has to support reading.
### `fsPromises.readlink(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous readlink(2). The `Promise` is resolved with the `linkString` upon
success.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the link path returned. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`, the link path
returned will be passed as a `Buffer` object.
### `fsPromises.realpath(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {string|Object}
* `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Determines the actual location of `path` using the same semantics as the
`fs.realpath.native()` function then resolves the `Promise` with the resolved
path.
Only paths that can be converted to UTF8 strings are supported.
The optional `options` argument can be a string specifying an encoding, or an
object with an `encoding` property specifying the character encoding to use for
the path. If the `encoding` is set to `'buffer'`, the path returned will be
passed as a `Buffer` object.
On Linux, when Node.js is linked against musl libc, the procfs file system must
be mounted on `/proc` in order for this function to work. Glibc does not have
this restriction.
### `fsPromises.rename(oldPath, newPath)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `oldPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `newPath` {string|Buffer|URL}
* Returns: {Promise}
Renames `oldPath` to `newPath` and resolves the `Promise` with no arguments
upon success.
### `fsPromises.rmdir(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: v13.3.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/30644
description: The `maxBusyTries` option is renamed to `maxRetries`, and its
default is 0. The `emfileWait` option has been removed, and
`EMFILE` errors use the same retry logic as other errors. The
`retryDelay` option is now supported. `ENFILE` errors are now
retried.
- version: v12.10.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/29168
description: The `recursive`, `maxBusyTries`, and `emfileWait` options are
now supported.
-->
> Stability: 1 - Recursive removal is experimental.
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `maxRetries` {integer} If an `EBUSY`, `EMFILE`, `ENFILE`, `ENOTEMPTY`, or
`EPERM` error is encountered, Node.js will retry the operation with a linear
backoff wait of `retryDelay` ms longer on each try. This option represents
the number of retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is
not `true`. **Default:** `0`.
* `recursive` {boolean} If `true`, perform a recursive directory removal. In
recursive mode, errors are not reported if `path` does not exist, and
operations are retried on failure. **Default:** `false`.
* `retryDelay` {integer} The amount of time in milliseconds to wait between
retries. This option is ignored if the `recursive` option is not `true`.
**Default:** `100`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Removes the directory identified by `path` then resolves the `Promise` with
no arguments upon success.
Using `fsPromises.rmdir()` on a file (not a directory) results in the
`Promise` being rejected with an `ENOENT` error on Windows and an `ENOTDIR`
error on POSIX.
### `fsPromises.stat(path[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
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- version: v10.5.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/20220
description: Accepts an additional `options` object to specify whether
the numeric values returned should be bigint.
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `options` {Object}
* `bigint` {boolean} Whether the numeric values in the returned
[`fs.Stats`][] object should be `bigint`. **Default:** `false`.
* Returns: {Promise}
The `Promise` is resolved with the [`fs.Stats`][] object for the given `path`.
### `fsPromises.symlink(target, path[, type])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `target` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `type` {string} **Default:** `'file'`
* Returns: {Promise}
Creates a symbolic link then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments upon
success.
The `type` argument is only used on Windows platforms and can be one of `'dir'`,
`'file'`, or `'junction'`. Windows junction points require the destination path
to be absolute. When using `'junction'`, the `target` argument will
automatically be normalized to absolute path.
### `fsPromises.truncate(path[, len])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `len` {integer} **Default:** `0`
* Returns: {Promise}
Truncates the `path` then resolves the `Promise` with no arguments upon
success. The `path` *must* be a string or `Buffer`.
### `fsPromises.unlink(path)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronous unlink(2). The `Promise` is resolved with no arguments upon
success.
### `fsPromises.utimes(path, atime, mtime)`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
-->
* `path` {string|Buffer|URL}
* `atime` {number|string|Date}
* `mtime` {number|string|Date}
* Returns: {Promise}
Change the file system timestamps of the object referenced by `path` then
resolves the `Promise` with no arguments upon success.
The `atime` and `mtime` arguments follow these rules:
* Values can be either numbers representing Unix epoch time, `Date`s, or a
numeric string like `'123456789.0'`.
* If the value can not be converted to a number, or is `NaN`, `Infinity` or
`-Infinity`, an `Error` will be thrown.
### `fsPromises.writeFile(file, data[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v10.0.0
changes:
- version: REPLACEME
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/31030
description: The `data` parameter won't coerce unsupported input to
strings anymore.
-->
* `file` {string|Buffer|URL|FileHandle} filename or `FileHandle`
* `data` {string|Buffer|Uint8Array}
* `options` {Object|string}
* `encoding` {string|null} **Default:** `'utf8'`
* `mode` {integer} **Default:** `0o666`
* `flag` {string} See [support of file system `flags`][]. **Default:** `'w'`.
* Returns: {Promise}
Asynchronously writes data to a file, replacing the file if it already exists.
`data` can be a string or a buffer. The `Promise` will be resolved with no
arguments upon success.
The `encoding` option is ignored if `data` is a buffer.
If `options` is a string, then it specifies the encoding.
Any specified `FileHandle` has to support writing.
It is unsafe to use `fsPromises.writeFile()` multiple times on the same file
without waiting for the `Promise` to be resolved (or rejected).
## FS Constants
The following constants are exported by `fs.constants`.
Not every constant will be available on every operating system.
### File Access Constants
The following constants are meant for use with [`fs.access()`][].
<table>
<tr>
<th>Constant</th>
<th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>F_OK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file is visible to the calling process.
This is useful for determining if a file exists, but says nothing
about <code>rwx</code> permissions. Default if no mode is specified.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>R_OK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file can be read by the calling process.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>W_OK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file can be written by the calling
process.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>X_OK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file can be executed by the calling
process. This has no effect on Windows
(will behave like <code>fs.constants.F_OK</code>).</td>
</tr>
</table>
### File Copy Constants
The following constants are meant for use with [`fs.copyFile()`][].
<table>
<tr>
<th>Constant</th>
<th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>COPYFILE_EXCL</code></td>
<td>If present, the copy operation will fail with an error if the
destination path already exists.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>COPYFILE_FICLONE</code></td>
<td>If present, the copy operation will attempt to create a
copy-on-write reflink. If the underlying platform does not support
copy-on-write, then a fallback copy mechanism is used.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>COPYFILE_FICLONE_FORCE</code></td>
<td>If present, the copy operation will attempt to create a
copy-on-write reflink. If the underlying platform does not support
copy-on-write, then the operation will fail with an error.</td>
</tr>
</table>
### File Open Constants
The following constants are meant for use with `fs.open()`.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Constant</th>
<th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_RDONLY</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to open a file for read-only access.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_WRONLY</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to open a file for write-only access.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_RDWR</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to open a file for read-write access.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_CREAT</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to create the file if it does not already exist.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_EXCL</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that opening a file should fail if the
<code>O_CREAT</code> flag is set and the file already exists.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_NOCTTY</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that if path identifies a terminal device, opening the
path shall not cause that terminal to become the controlling terminal for
the process (if the process does not already have one).</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_TRUNC</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that if the file exists and is a regular file, and the
file is opened successfully for write access, its length shall be truncated
to zero.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_APPEND</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that data will be appended to the end of the file.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_DIRECTORY</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the open should fail if the path is not a
directory.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_NOATIME</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating reading accesses to the file system will no longer
result in an update to the <code>atime</code> information associated with
the file. This flag is available on Linux operating systems only.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_NOFOLLOW</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the open should fail if the path is a symbolic
link.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_SYNC</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file is opened for synchronized I/O with write
operations waiting for file integrity.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_DSYNC</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating that the file is opened for synchronized I/O with write
operations waiting for data integrity.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_SYMLINK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to open the symbolic link itself rather than the
resource it is pointing to.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_DIRECT</code></td>
<td>When set, an attempt will be made to minimize caching effects of file
I/O.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>O_NONBLOCK</code></td>
<td>Flag indicating to open the file in nonblocking mode when possible.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>UV_FS_O_FILEMAP</code></td>
<td>When set, a memory file mapping is used to access the file. This flag
is available on Windows operating systems only. On other operating systems,
this flag is ignored.</td>
</tr>
</table>
### File Type Constants
The following constants are meant for use with the [`fs.Stats`][] object's
`mode` property for determining a file's type.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Constant</th>
<th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFMT</code></td>
<td>Bit mask used to extract the file type code.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFREG</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a regular file.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFDIR</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a directory.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFCHR</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a character-oriented device file.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFBLK</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a block-oriented device file.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFIFO</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a FIFO/pipe.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFLNK</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a symbolic link.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IFSOCK</code></td>
<td>File type constant for a socket.</td>
</tr>
</table>
### File Mode Constants
The following constants are meant for use with the [`fs.Stats`][] object's
`mode` property for determining the access permissions for a file.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Constant</th>
<th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IRWXU</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable, writable, and executable by owner.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IRUSR</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable by owner.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IWUSR</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating writable by owner.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IXUSR</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating executable by owner.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IRWXG</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable, writable, and executable by group.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IRGRP</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable by group.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IWGRP</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating writable by group.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IXGRP</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating executable by group.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IRWXO</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable, writable, and executable by others.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IROTH</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating readable by others.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IWOTH</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating writable by others.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>S_IXOTH</code></td>
<td>File mode indicating executable by others.</td>
</tr>
</table>
## File System Flags
The following flags are available wherever the `flag` option takes a
string.
* `'a'`: Open file for appending.
The file is created if it does not exist.
* `'ax'`: Like `'a'` but fails if the path exists.
* `'a+'`: Open file for reading and appending.
The file is created if it does not exist.
* `'ax+'`: Like `'a+'` but fails if the path exists.
* `'as'`: Open file for appending in synchronous mode.
The file is created if it does not exist.
* `'as+'`: Open file for reading and appending in synchronous mode.
The file is created if it does not exist.
* `'r'`: Open file for reading.
An exception occurs if the file does not exist.
* `'r+'`: Open file for reading and writing.
An exception occurs if the file does not exist.
* `'rs+'`: Open file for reading and writing in synchronous mode. Instructs
the operating system to bypass the local file system cache.
This is primarily useful for opening files on NFS mounts as it allows
skipping the potentially stale local cache. It has a very real impact on
I/O performance so using this flag is not recommended unless it is needed.
This doesn't turn `fs.open()` or `fsPromises.open()` into a synchronous
blocking call. If synchronous operation is desired, something like
`fs.openSync()` should be used.
* `'w'`: Open file for writing.
The file is created (if it does not exist) or truncated (if it exists).
* `'wx'`: Like `'w'` but fails if the path exists.
* `'w+'`: Open file for reading and writing.
The file is created (if it does not exist) or truncated (if it exists).
* `'wx+'`: Like `'w+'` but fails if the path exists.
`flag` can also be a number as documented by open(2); commonly used constants
are available from `fs.constants`. On Windows, flags are translated to
their equivalent ones where applicable, e.g. `O_WRONLY` to `FILE_GENERIC_WRITE`,
or `O_EXCL|O_CREAT` to `CREATE_NEW`, as accepted by `CreateFileW`.
The exclusive flag `'x'` (`O_EXCL` flag in open(2)) ensures that path is newly
created. On POSIX systems, path is considered to exist even if it is a symlink
to a non-existent file. The exclusive flag may or may not work with network
file systems.
On Linux, positional writes don't work when the file is opened in append mode.
The kernel ignores the position argument and always appends the data to
the end of the file.
Modifying a file rather than replacing it may require the `flag` option to be
set to `'r+'` rather than the default `'w'`.
The behavior of some flags are platform-specific. As such, opening a directory
on macOS and Linux with the `'a+'` flag, as in the example below, will return an
error. In contrast, on Windows and FreeBSD, a file descriptor or a `FileHandle`
will be returned.
```js
// macOS and Linux
fs.open('<directory>', 'a+', (err, fd) => {
// => [Error: EISDIR: illegal operation on a directory, open <directory>]
});
// Windows and FreeBSD
fs.open('<directory>', 'a+', (err, fd) => {
// => null, <fd>
});
```
On Windows, opening an existing hidden file using the `'w'` flag (either
through `fs.open()` or `fs.writeFile()` or `fsPromises.open()`) will fail with
`EPERM`. Existing hidden files can be opened for writing with the `'r+'` flag.
A call to `fs.ftruncate()` or `filehandle.truncate()` can be used to reset
the file contents.
[`AHAFS`]: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/aix/library/au-aix_event_infrastructure/
[`Buffer.byteLength`]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_bytelength_string_encoding
[`Buffer`]: buffer.html#buffer_buffer
[`FSEvents`]: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coreservices/file_system_events
[`Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Number/MAX_SAFE_INTEGER
[`ReadDirectoryChangesW`]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/winbase/nf-winbase-readdirectorychangesw
[`ReadStream`]: #fs_class_fs_readstream
[Readable Stream]: #stream_class_stream_readable
[`URL`]: url.html#url_the_whatwg_url_api
[`UV_THREADPOOL_SIZE`]: cli.html#cli_uv_threadpool_size_size
[`WriteStream`]: #fs_class_fs_writestream
[`event ports`]: https://illumos.org/man/port_create
[`filehandle.writeFile()`]: #fs_filehandle_writefile_data_options
[`fs.Dir`]: #fs_class_fs_dir
[`fs.Dirent`]: #fs_class_fs_dirent
[`fs.FSWatcher`]: #fs_class_fs_fswatcher
[`fs.Stats`]: #fs_class_fs_stats
[`fs.access()`]: #fs_fs_access_path_mode_callback
[`fs.chmod()`]: #fs_fs_chmod_path_mode_callback
[`fs.chown()`]: #fs_fs_chown_path_uid_gid_callback
[`fs.copyFile()`]: #fs_fs_copyfile_src_dest_mode_callback
[`fs.createWriteStream()`]: #fs_fs_createwritestream_path_options
[`fs.exists()`]: fs.html#fs_fs_exists_path_callback
[`fs.fstat()`]: #fs_fs_fstat_fd_options_callback
[`fs.ftruncate()`]: #fs_fs_ftruncate_fd_len_callback
[`fs.futimes()`]: #fs_fs_futimes_fd_atime_mtime_callback
[`fs.lstat()`]: #fs_fs_lstat_path_options_callback
[`fs.mkdir()`]: #fs_fs_mkdir_path_options_callback
[`fs.mkdtemp()`]: #fs_fs_mkdtemp_prefix_options_callback
[`fs.open()`]: #fs_fs_open_path_flags_mode_callback
[`fs.opendir()`]: #fs_fs_opendir_path_options_callback
[`fs.opendirSync()`]: #fs_fs_opendirsync_path_options
[`fs.read()`]: #fs_fs_read_fd_buffer_offset_length_position_callback
[`fs.readFile()`]: #fs_fs_readfile_path_options_callback
[`fs.readFileSync()`]: #fs_fs_readfilesync_path_options
[`fs.readdir()`]: #fs_fs_readdir_path_options_callback
[`fs.readdirSync()`]: #fs_fs_readdirsync_path_options
[`fs.realpath()`]: #fs_fs_realpath_path_options_callback
[`fs.rmdir()`]: #fs_fs_rmdir_path_options_callback
[`fs.stat()`]: #fs_fs_stat_path_options_callback
[`fs.symlink()`]: #fs_fs_symlink_target_path_type_callback
[`fs.utimes()`]: #fs_fs_utimes_path_atime_mtime_callback
[`fs.watch()`]: #fs_fs_watch_filename_options_listener
[`fs.write(fd, buffer...)`]: #fs_fs_write_fd_buffer_offset_length_position_callback
[`fs.write(fd, string...)`]: #fs_fs_write_fd_string_position_encoding_callback
[`fs.writeFile()`]: #fs_fs_writefile_file_data_options_callback
[`fs.writev()`]: #fs_fs_writev_fd_buffers_position_callback
[`fsPromises.open()`]: #fs_fspromises_open_path_flags_mode
[`fsPromises.opendir()`]: #fs_fspromises_opendir_path_options
[`inotify(7)`]: http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/inotify.7.html
[`kqueue(2)`]: https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=kqueue&sektion=2
[`net.Socket`]: net.html#net_class_net_socket
[`stat()`]: fs.html#fs_fs_stat_path_options_callback
[`util.promisify()`]: util.html#util_util_promisify_original
[Caveats]: #fs_caveats
[Common System Errors]: errors.html#errors_common_system_errors
[FS Constants]: #fs_fs_constants_1
[File Access Constants]: #fs_file_access_constants
[MDN-Date]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date
[MDN-Number]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Data_structures#Number_type
[MSDN-Rel-Path]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file#fully-qualified-vs-relative-paths
[MSDN-Using-Streams]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/using-streams
[Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/FileIO/naming-a-file
[bigints]: https://tc39.github.io/proposal-bigint
[chcp]: https://ss64.com/nt/chcp.html
[inode]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inode
[support of file system `flags`]: #fs_file_system_flags
[Writable Stream]: stream.html#stream_class_stream_writable