node-watch

What is node-watch?

The node-watch package is a simple and efficient file system watcher for Node.js. It allows you to monitor changes in files and directories, making it useful for tasks such as live-reloading, automated testing, and more.

What are node-watch's main functionalities?

Watch a single file

This feature allows you to watch a single file for changes. The callback function is triggered whenever the file is modified.

const watch = require('node-watch');

watch('file.txt', { recursive: false }, function(evt, name) {
  console.log('%s changed.', name);
});

Watch a directory recursively

This feature allows you to watch a directory and all its subdirectories for changes. The callback function is triggered whenever any file within the directory or its subdirectories is modified.

const watch = require('node-watch');

watch('directory', { recursive: true }, function(evt, name) {
  console.log('%s changed.', name);
});

Filter files to watch

This feature allows you to specify a filter to watch only certain types of files. In this example, only JavaScript files within the directory are monitored for changes.

const watch = require('node-watch');

watch('directory', { filter: /\.js$/ }, function(evt, name) {
  console.log('%s changed.', name);
});

Other packages similar to node-watch

chokidar

Chokidar is a highly efficient and feature-rich file system watcher for Node.js. It supports recursive watching, filtering, and more advanced features like debouncing and throttling. Compared to node-watch, Chokidar offers more configuration options and better performance for large-scale projects.

gaze

Gaze is another file watcher for Node.js that supports recursive watching and filtering. It is known for its simplicity and ease of use. While it offers similar functionalities to node-watch, it may not be as performant or feature-rich as Chokidar.

watch

The watch package is a simple file watcher for Node.js. It provides basic functionality for monitoring file changes but lacks some of the advanced features found in Chokidar and node-watch. It is suitable for smaller projects or simpler use cases.

README

#Node-watch

This module will watch a directory recursively by default while trying to solve several problems caused by the native fs.watch():

1. When modifying a file inside a watched directory, the callback function will be triggered multiple times;
2. when modifying a watched file with an editor like vim, the callback function will only be triggered one time and then it is unwatched.

In current version it does not differentiate event like "rename" or "delete". Once there is a change, the callback function will be triggered.

Installation

npm install node-watch

Example

var watch = require('node-watch');

watch('somedir_or_somefile', function(filename) {
  console.log(filename, ' changed.');
});

Options

recursive: [ true | fase ] -- If watch recursively or not. True by default.

watch('somedir', { recursive: false }, function(filename) {
  console.log(filename, ' changed.');
});