file-entry-cache
Advanced tools
A lightweight cache for file metadata, ideal for processes that work on a specific set of files and only need to reprocess files that have changed since the last run
A lightweight cache for file metadata, ideal for processes that work on a specific set of files and only need to reprocess files that have changed since the last run
reconcile() or persistInterval on cache options.checksum to determine if a file has changedrelative and absolute paths with configurable current working directorynpm install file-entry-cache
import fileEntryCache from 'file-entry-cache';
const cache = fileEntryCache.create('cache1');
// Using relative paths
let fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // true as it is the first time
console.log(fileDescriptor.key); // './src/file.txt' (stored as provided)
fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // false as it has not changed
// do something to change the file
fs.writeFileSync('./src/file.txt', 'new data foo bar');
// check if the file has changed
fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // true
Using create() with options for more control:
import fileEntryCache from 'file-entry-cache';
// Create cache with options
const cache = fileEntryCache.create('myCache', './.cache', {
useCheckSum: true, // Use checksums for more reliable change detection
cwd: '/path/to/project', // Custom working directory
restrictAccessToCwd: false, // Allow access outside cwd (use with caution)
useAbsolutePathAsKey: false // Store relative paths in cache
});
let fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // true
console.log(fileDescriptor.meta.hash); // checksum hash
Save it to Disk and Reconcile files that are no longer found
import fileEntryCache from 'file-entry-cache';
const cache = fileEntryCache.create('cache1');
let fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // true as it is the first time
cache.reconcile(); // save the cache to disk and remove files that are no longer found
Load the cache from a file:
import fileEntryCache from 'file-entry-cache';
// Basic usage
const cache = fileEntryCache.createFromFile('/path/to/cache/file');
let fileDescriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(fileDescriptor.changed); // false as it has not changed from the saved cache.
// With options
const cache2 = fileEntryCache.createFromFile('/path/to/cache/file', {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/path/to/project'
});
BREAKING CHANGES:
create() and createFromFile() now use CreateOptions object - The function signatures have changed to accept an options object instead of individual parameters for better extensibility and clarity.
Old API (v10):
// v10 - positional parameters
const cache = fileEntryCache.create(cacheId, cacheDirectory, useCheckSum, cwd);
const cache2 = fileEntryCache.createFromFile(filePath, useCheckSum, cwd);
New API (v11):
// v11 - options object
const cache = fileEntryCache.create(cacheId, cacheDirectory, {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/path/to/project',
restrictAccessToCwd: false
});
const cache2 = fileEntryCache.createFromFile(filePath, {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/path/to/project',
restrictAccessToCwd: false
});
Renamed strictPaths to restrictAccessToCwd - For better clarity and self-documentation, the option that restricts file access to the current working directory has been renamed.
Migration:
// Old
const cache = new FileEntryCache({ strictPaths: true });
cache.strictPaths = false;
// New
const cache = new FileEntryCache({ restrictAccessToCwd: true });
cache.restrictAccessToCwd = false;
Renamed currentWorkingDirectory to cwd - For consistency with common conventions and brevity, the property has been renamed to cwd.
Migration:
// Old
const cache = new FileEntryCache({ currentWorkingDirectory: '/path/to/project' });
cache.currentWorkingDirectory = '/new/path';
// New
const cache = new FileEntryCache({ cwd: '/path/to/project' });
cache.cwd = '/new/path';
NEW FEATURES:
cwd option - You can now specify a custom current working directory for resolving relative pathsrestrictAccessToCwd option - Provides protection against path traversal attacks (disabled by default for backwards compatibility)useAbsolutePathAsKey option - When true, cache keys use absolute paths instead of the provided paths. Default is false for better cache portability with relative pathslogger option - Support for Pino-compatible logger instances to enable debugging and monitoring of cache operations. See Logger Support section for detailscwd, cache files are portable across different environmentsThere have been many features added and changes made to the file-entry-cache class. Here are the main changes:
cache object to the options to allow for more control over the cachehashAlgorithm to the options to allow for different checksum algorithms. Note that if you load from file it most likely will break if the value was something before.hashAlgorithm. For the Cache options they are assigned to cache such as cache.ttl and cache.lruSize.cache.persistInterval to allow for saving the cache to disk at a specific interval. This will save the cache to disk at the interval specified instead of calling reconsile() to save. (off by default)getFileDescriptorsByPath(filePath: string): FileEntryDescriptor[] to get all the file descriptors that start with the path specified. This is useful when you want to get all the files in a directory or a specific path.flat-cache v6 which is a major update. This allows for better performance and more control over the cache.FileEntryDescriptor.meta if using typescript you need to use the meta.data to set additional information. This is to allow for better type checking and to avoid conflicts with the meta object which was any.create(cacheId: string, cacheDirectory?: string, options?: CreateOptions) - Creates a new instance of the FileEntryCache classcreateFromFile(filePath: string, options?: CreateOptions) - Creates a new instance of the FileEntryCache class and loads the cache from a file.All options from FileEntryCacheOptions except cache:
useCheckSum? - If true it will use a checksum to determine if the file has changed. Default is falsehashAlgorithm? - The algorithm to use for the checksum. Default is md5cwd? - The current working directory for resolving relative paths. Default is process.cwd()restrictAccessToCwd? - If true restricts file access to within cwd boundaries. Default is falseuseAbsolutePathAsKey? - If true uses absolute paths as cache keys. Default is falselogger? - A logger instance for debugging. Default is undefineduseModifiedTime? - If true it will use the modified time to determine if the file has changed. Default is trueuseCheckSum? - If true it will use a checksum to determine if the file has changed. Default is falsehashAlgorithm? - The algorithm to use for the checksum. Default is md5 but can be any algorithm supported by crypto.createHashcwd? - The current working directory for resolving relative paths. Default is process.cwd()restrictAccessToCwd? - If true restricts file access to within cwd boundaries, preventing path traversal attacks. Default is truelogger? - A logger instance compatible with Pino logger interface for debugging and monitoring. Default is undefinedcache.ttl? - The time to live for the cache in milliseconds. Default is 0 which means no expirationcache.lruSize? - The number of items to keep in the cache. Default is 0 which means no limitcache.useClone? - If true it will clone the data before returning it. Default is falsecache.expirationInterval? - The interval to check for expired items in the cache. Default is 0 which means no expirationcache.persistInterval? - The interval to save the data to disk. Default is 0 which means no persistencecache.cacheDir? - The directory to save the cache files. Default is ./cachecache.cacheId? - The id of the cache. Default is cache1cache.parse? - The function to parse the data. Default is flatted.parsecache.stringify? - The function to stringify the data. Default is flatted.stringifyconstructor(options?: FileEntryCacheOptions) - Creates a new instance of the FileEntryCache classuseCheckSum: boolean - If true it will use a checksum to determine if the file has changed. Default is falsehashAlgorithm: string - The algorithm to use for the checksum. Default is md5 but can be any algorithm supported by crypto.createHashgetHash(buffer: Buffer): string - Gets the hash of a buffer used for checksumscwd: string - The current working directory for resolving relative paths. Default is process.cwd()restrictAccessToCwd: boolean - If true restricts file access to within cwd boundaries. Default is trueuseAbsolutePathAsKey: boolean - If true uses absolute paths as cache keys. Default is false to maintain better cache portabilitylogger: ILogger | undefined - A logger instance for debugging and monitoring cache operationscreateFileKey(filePath: string): string - Returns the cache key for the file path (returns the path exactly as provided when useAbsolutePathAsKey is false, otherwise returns the absolute path).deleteCacheFile(): boolean - Deletes the cache file from diskdestroy(): void - Destroys the cache. This will clear the cache in memory. If using cache persistence it will stop the interval.removeEntry(filePath: string): void - Removes an entry from the cache.reconcile(): void - Saves the cache to disk and removes any files that are no longer found.hasFileChanged(filePath: string): boolean - Checks if the file has changed. This will return true if the file has changed.getFileDescriptor(filePath: string, options?: { useModifiedTime?: boolean, useCheckSum?: boolean }): FileEntryDescriptor - Gets the file descriptor for the file. Please refer to the entire section on Get File Descriptor for more information.normalizeEntries(files?: string[]): FileDescriptor[] - Normalizes the entries. If no files are provided, it will return all cached entries.analyzeFiles(files: string[]) will return AnalyzedFiles object with changedFiles, notFoundFiles, and notChangedFiles as FileDescriptor arrays.getUpdatedFiles(files: string[]) will return an array of FileEntryDescriptor objects that have changed.getFileDescriptorsByPath(filePath: string): FileEntryDescriptor[] will return an array of FileEntryDescriptor objects that starts with the path prefix specified.getAbsolutePath(filePath: string): string - Resolves a relative path to absolute using the configured cwd. Returns absolute paths unchanged. When restrictAccessToCwd is enabled, throws an error if the path resolves outside cwd.getAbsolutePathWithCwd(filePath: string, cwd: string): string - Resolves a relative path to absolute using a custom working directory. When restrictAccessToCwd is enabled, throws an error if the path resolves outside the provided cwd.The getFileDescriptor(filePath: string, options?: { useCheckSum?: boolean, useModifiedTime?: boolean }): FileEntryDescriptor function is used to get the file descriptor for the file. This function will return a FileEntryDescriptor object that has the following properties:
key: string - The cache key for the file. This is exactly the path that was provided (relative or absolute).changed: boolean - If the file has changed since the last time it was analyzed.notFound: boolean - If the file was not found.meta: FileEntryMeta - The meta data for the file. This has the following properties: size, mtime, hash, data. Note that data is an object that can be used to store additional information.err - If there was an error analyzing the file.The cache stores paths exactly as they are provided (relative or absolute). When checking if files have changed, relative paths are resolved using the configured cwd (current working directory):
// Default: uses process.cwd()
const cache1 = fileEntryCache.create('cache1');
// Custom working directory using options object
const cache2 = fileEntryCache.create('cache2', './cache', {
cwd: '/project/root'
});
// Or using the class constructor directly
const cache3 = new FileEntryCache({ cwd: '/project/root' });
// The cache key is always the provided path
const descriptor = cache2.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
console.log(descriptor.key); // './src/file.txt'
// But file operations resolve from: '/project/root/src/file.txt'
Using relative paths with a consistent cwd (defaults to process.cwd()) makes cache files portable across different machines and environments. This is especially useful for CI/CD pipelines and team development.
// On machine A (project at /home/user/project)
const cacheA = fileEntryCache.create('build-cache', './cache', {
cwd: '/home/user/project'
});
cacheA.getFileDescriptor('./src/index.js'); // Resolves to /home/user/project/src/index.js
cacheA.reconcile();
// On machine B (project at /workspace/project)
const cacheB = fileEntryCache.create('build-cache', './cache', {
cwd: '/workspace/project'
});
cacheB.getFileDescriptor('./src/index.js'); // Resolves to /workspace/project/src/index.js
// Cache hit! File hasn't changed since machine A
For maximum cache portability across different environments, use checksums (useCheckSum: true) along with relative paths and cwd which defaults to process.cwd(). This ensures that cache validity is determined by file content rather than modification times, which can vary across systems:
// Development machine
const devCache = fileEntryCache.create('.buildcache', './cache', {
useCheckSum: true // Use checksums for content-based comparison
});
// Process files using relative paths
const descriptor = devCache.getFileDescriptor('./src/index.js');
if (descriptor.changed) {
console.log('Building ./src/index.js...');
// Build process here
}
devCache.reconcile(); // Save cache
// CI/CD Pipeline or another developer's machine
const ciCache = fileEntryCache.create('.buildcache', './node_modules/.cache', {
useCheckSum: true, // Same checksum setting
cwd: process.cwd() // Different absolute path, same relative structure
});
// Same relative path works across environments
const descriptor2 = ciCache.getFileDescriptor('./src/index.js');
if (!descriptor2.changed) {
console.log('Using cached result for ./src/index.js');
// Skip rebuild - file content unchanged
}
Cache remains valid even when projects are moved or renamed:
// Original location: /projects/my-app
const cache1 = fileEntryCache.create('.cache', './cache', {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/projects/my-app'
});
cache1.getFileDescriptor('./src/app.js');
cache1.reconcile();
// After moving project to: /archived/2024/my-app
const cache2 = fileEntryCache.create('.cache', './cache', {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/archived/2024/my-app'
});
cache2.getFileDescriptor('./src/app.js'); // Still finds cached entry!
// Cache valid as long as relative structure unchanged
If there is an error when trying to get the file descriptor it will return a notFound and err property with the error.
const fileEntryCache = new FileEntryCache();
const fileDescriptor = fileEntryCache.getFileDescriptor('no-file');
if (fileDescriptor.err) {
console.error(fileDescriptor.err);
}
if (fileDescriptor.notFound) {
console.error('File not found');
}
The restrictAccessToCwd option provides security against path traversal attacks by restricting file access to within the configured cwd boundaries. This is enabled by default (since v11) to ensure secure defaults when processing untrusted input or when running in security-sensitive environments.
// restrictAccessToCwd is enabled by default for security
const cache = new FileEntryCache({
cwd: '/project/root'
});
// This will work - file is within cwd
const descriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/index.js');
// This will throw an error - attempts to access parent directory
try {
cache.getFileDescriptor('../../../etc/passwd');
} catch (error) {
console.error(error); // Path traversal attempt blocked
}
// To allow parent directory access (not recommended for untrusted input)
const unsafeCache = new FileEntryCache({
cwd: '/project/root',
restrictAccessToCwd: false // Explicitly disable protection
});
When restrictAccessToCwd is enabled:
../ sequences// Secure build tool configuration
const cache = fileEntryCache.create('.buildcache', './cache', {
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: process.cwd(),
restrictAccessToCwd: true // Enable strict path checking for security
});
// Process user-provided file paths safely
function processUserFile(userProvidedPath) {
try {
const descriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor(userProvidedPath);
// Safe to process - file is within boundaries
return descriptor;
} catch (error) {
if (error.message.includes('Path traversal attempt blocked')) {
console.warn('Security: Blocked access to:', userProvidedPath);
return null;
}
throw error;
}
}
// Strict security for CI/CD pipelines
const cache = new FileEntryCache({
cwd: process.env.GITHUB_WORKSPACE || process.cwd(),
restrictAccessToCwd: true, // Prevent access outside workspace
useCheckSum: true // Content-based validation
});
// All file operations are now restricted to the workspace
cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/app.js'); // ✓ Allowed
cache.getFileDescriptor('/etc/passwd'); // ✗ Blocked (absolute path outside cwd)
cache.getFileDescriptor('../../../root'); // ✗ Blocked (path traversal)
const cache = new FileEntryCache({ cwd: '/safe/directory' });
// Start with relaxed mode for trusted operations
cache.restrictAccessToCwd = false;
processInternalFiles();
// Enable strict mode for untrusted input
cache.restrictAccessToCwd = true;
processUserUploadedPaths();
// Return to relaxed mode if needed
cache.restrictAccessToCwd = false;
As of v11, restrictAccessToCwd is enabled by default to provide secure defaults. This means:
../ are blockedcwdIf you're upgrading from v10 or earlier and need to maintain the previous behavior (for example, if your code legitimately accesses parent directories), you can explicitly disable strict paths:
const cache = new FileEntryCache({
cwd: process.cwd(),
restrictAccessToCwd: false // Restore v10 behavior
});
However, we strongly recommend keeping restrictAccessToCwd: true and adjusting your code to work within the security boundaries, especially when processing any untrusted input.
By default the useCheckSum is false. This means that the FileEntryCache will use the mtime and ctime to determine if the file has changed. If you set useCheckSum to true it will use a checksum to determine if the file has changed. This is useful when you want to make sure that the file has not changed at all.
const fileEntryCache = new FileEntryCache();
const fileDescriptor = fileEntryCache.getFileDescriptor('file.txt', { useCheckSum: true });
You can pass useCheckSum in the FileEntryCache options, as a property .useCheckSum to make it default for all files, or in the getFileDescriptor function. Here is an example where you set it globally but then override it for a specific file:
const fileEntryCache = new FileEntryCache({ useCheckSum: true });
const fileDescriptor = fileEntryCache.getFileDescriptor('file.txt', { useCheckSum: false });
In the past we have seen people do random values on the meta object. This can cause issues with the meta object. To avoid this we have data which can be anything.
const fileEntryCache = new FileEntryCache();
const fileDescriptor = fileEntryCache.getFileDescriptor('file.txt');
fileDescriptor.meta.data = { myData: 'myData' }; //anything you want
The FileEntryCache supports logging through a Pino-compatible logger interface. This is useful for debugging and monitoring cache operations in production environments.
The logger must implement the following interface:
interface ILogger {
level?: string;
trace: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
debug: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
info: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
warn: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
error: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
fatal: (message: string | object, ...args: unknown[]) => void;
}
You can pass a Pino logger instance to the FileEntryCache constructor or set it via the logger property:
import pino from 'pino';
import fileEntryCache from 'file-entry-cache';
// Create a Pino logger
const logger = pino({
level: 'debug',
transport: {
target: 'pino-pretty',
options: {
colorize: true
}
}
});
// Pass logger in constructor
const cache = new fileEntryCache.FileEntryCache({
logger,
cacheId: 'my-cache'
});
// Or set it after creation
cache.logger = logger;
// Now all cache operations will be logged
const descriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/file.txt');
The logger will output different levels of information:
import pino from 'pino';
import { FileEntryCache } from 'file-entry-cache';
// Create logger with specific level
const logger = pino({ level: 'info' });
const cache = new FileEntryCache({
logger,
useCheckSum: true
});
// This will log at info level when files change
const files = ['./src/index.js', './src/utils.js'];
files.forEach(file => {
const descriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor(file);
if (descriptor.changed) {
console.log(`Processing changed file: ${file}`);
}
});
cache.reconcile();
For detailed debugging, set the logger level to debug or trace:
import pino from 'pino';
import { FileEntryCache } from 'file-entry-cache';
const logger = pino({
level: 'trace',
transport: {
target: 'pino-pretty'
}
});
const cache = new FileEntryCache({
logger,
useCheckSum: true,
cwd: '/project/root'
});
// Will log detailed information about:
// - File path resolution
// - Cache key creation
// - Cached metadata lookup
// - File stats reading
// - Hash calculation (if using checksums)
// - Change detection logic
const descriptor = cache.getFileDescriptor('./src/app.js');
You can contribute by forking the repo and submitting a pull request. Please make sure to add tests and update the documentation. To learn more about how to contribute go to our main README https://github.com/jaredwray/cacheable. This will talk about how to Open a Pull Request, Ask a Question, or Post an Issue.
Chokidar is a more comprehensive file watching library that provides a high-level API to watch files and directories for changes. It is similar to file-entry-cache in that it can be used to optimize file processing tasks by reacting to changes in real-time, but it operates on a different principle, focusing on event-based file watching rather than caching metadata.
node-persist is a local storage library for Node.js, allowing data to be stored and retrieved across sessions. While it is not specifically designed for caching file metadata, it can be used for similar purposes as file-entry-cache by manually managing file metadata as part of the stored data. The main difference is that node-persist offers a broader set of storage capabilities beyond just file metadata.
FAQs
A lightweight cache for file metadata, ideal for processes that work on a specific set of files and only need to reprocess files that have changed since the last run
The npm package file-entry-cache receives a total of 117,508,725 weekly downloads. As such, file-entry-cache popularity was classified as popular.
We found that file-entry-cache demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
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