del

What is del?

The del npm package is a powerful tool for deleting files and directories in a Node.js environment. It uses globs to select files and is built on top of the rimraf package, providing a promise-based API that supports multiple files and globbing patterns.

What are del's main functionalities?

Delete files and directories

This feature allows you to delete files and directories using glob patterns. The example shows how to delete all JavaScript files in the 'temp' directory except 'temp/unicorn.js'.

const del = require('del');

del(['temp/*.js', '!temp/unicorn.js']).then(paths => {
    console.log('Deleted files and folders:\n', paths.join('\n'));
});

Dry run

This feature performs a dry run without actually deleting the files. It's useful for testing which files would be deleted.

const del = require('del');

del(['temp/*.js'], {dryRun: true}).then(paths => {
    console.log('Files and folders that would be deleted:\n', paths.join('\n'));
});

Force deletion

This feature allows you to delete files outside of the current working directory. Use with caution as it can potentially cause data loss.

const del = require('del');

del(['../temp/*.js'], {force: true}).then(paths => {
    console.log('Deleted files and folders:\n', paths.join('\n'));
});

Other packages similar to del

rimraf

rimraf is a Node.js package that provides a UNIX command rm -rf like functionality. It is the underlying library that del uses to delete files and directories. Unlike del, rimraf does not return promises natively and does not support globbing patterns without additional modules.

fs-extra

fs-extra is a package that extends the built-in Node.js fs module. It includes methods like remove and emptyDir which can be used to delete files and directories. fs-extra supports promises and can be a more comprehensive file system solution, but it does not have built-in globbing support.

globby

globby is a globbing library for Node.js that can be used in conjunction with other file system packages to delete files using patterns. It is not a direct alternative to del, but it can be used to achieve similar results when combined with fs or fs-extra.

README

del

Delete files and folders using globs

Similar to rimraf, but with a Promise API and support for multiple files and globbing. It also protects you against deleting the current working directory and above.

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Install

$ npm install --save del

Usage

const del = require('del');

del(['tmp/*.js', '!tmp/unicorn.js']).then(paths => {
	console.log('Deleted files and folders:\n', paths.join('\n'));
});

Beware

The glob pattern ** matches all children and the parent.

So this won't work:

del.sync(['public/assets/**', '!public/assets/goat.png']);

You have to explicitly ignore the parent directories too:

del.sync(['public/assets/**', '!public/assets', '!public/assets/goat.png']);

Suggestions on how to improve this welcome!

API

del(patterns, [options])

Returns a promise for an array of deleted paths.

del.sync(patterns, [options])

Returns an array of deleted paths.

patterns

Type: string Array

See supported minimatch patterns.

• Pattern examples with expected matches
• Quick globbing pattern overview

options

Type: Object

See the glob options.

force

Type: boolean
Default: false

Allow deleting the current working directory and outside.

dryRun

Type: boolean
Default: false

See what would be deleted.

const del = require('del');

del(['tmp/*.js'], {dryRun: true}).then(paths => {
	console.log('Files and folders that would be deleted:\n', paths.join('\n'));
});

concurrency

Type: number
Default: Infinity
Minimum: 1

Concurrency limit.

CLI

See del-cli for a CLI for this module and trash-cli for a safe version that is suitable for running by hand.

Related

• make-dir - Make a directory and its parents if needed
• globby - User-friendly glob matching

License

MIT © Sindre Sorhus