Introduction to fs-extra

fs-extra is a popular Node.js library that extends the functionality of the built-in ‘fs’ module. It provides dozens of additional methods that make file operations easier and more powerful. In this guide, we’ll explore some of the most useful APIs provided by fs-extra, complete with code snippets to demonstrate their usage. We’ll also create a small app that utilizes these APIs to perform common file operations.

Installation

npm install fs-extra

API Examples

Copying Files

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.copy('/path/to/source/file', '/path/to/destination/file', err => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log('File copied successfully!');
});

Removing Files

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.remove('/path/to/file', err => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log('File removed successfully!');
});

Ensuring a Directory Exists

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.ensureDir('/path/to/directory', err => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log('Directory ensured!');
});

Reading JSON Files

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.readJson('/path/to/file.json', (err, obj) => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log(obj);
});

Writing JSON Files

const fs = require('fs-extra');

const obj = { name: 'John', age: 30 };

fs.writeJson('/path/to/file.json', obj, err => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log('JSON file written successfully!');
});

Moving Files

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.move('/path/to/source/file', '/path/to/destination/file', err => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log('File moved successfully!');
});

Checking if File or Directory Exists

const fs = require('fs-extra');

fs.pathExists('/path/to/fileOrDirectory', (err, exists) => {
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log(exists ? 'Path exists!' : 'Path does not exist.');
});

App Example Using fs-extra

Let’s create a simple app that demonstrates the usage of some fs-extra methods. The app will do the following:

1. Ensure a directory exists.
2. Create a JSON file within that directory.
3. Copy the JSON file to another location.
4. Read the JSON file and log its contents.
5. Remove the original directory.

const fs = require('fs-extra');

async function main() {
  const dir = './exampleDir';
  const file = `${dir}/example.json`;
  const copyDestination = './copy/example.json';

  try {
    // Ensure a directory exists
    await fs.ensureDir(dir);
    console.log('Directory ensured!');

    // Write a JSON file within the directory
    await fs.writeJson(file, { name: 'John', age: 30 });
    console.log('JSON file written successfully!');

    // Copy the JSON file to another location
    await fs.copy(file, copyDestination);
    console.log('File copied successfully!');

    // Read the JSON file and log its contents
    const data = await fs.readJson(file);
    console.log(data);

    // Remove the original directory
    await fs.remove(dir);
    console.log('Directory removed successfully!');
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(err);
  }
}

main();

With fs-extra, your file operations in Node.js become more efficient and less error-prone. Happy coding!

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