rimraf

What is rimraf?

The rimraf npm package is a Node.js module that provides a way to perform a deep deletion of files and directories, similar to the 'rm -rf' Unix command. It is designed to work on both Windows and Unix file systems, handling the intricacies of different environments. It is often used to clean up directories before rebuilding a project or to remove temporary files.

What are rimraf's main functionalities?

Asynchronous file and directory removal

This feature allows for the asynchronous removal of a directory and its contents. The provided code sample demonstrates how to use rimraf to delete a directory asynchronously. The callback function is used to handle any errors or to perform actions after the removal is complete.

const rimraf = require('rimraf');
rimraf('/path/to/directory', function (err) { 
  if (err) throw err; 
  console.log('Directory and its contents have been removed');
});

Synchronous file and directory removal

This feature allows for the synchronous removal of a directory and its contents. The provided code sample demonstrates how to use rimraf to delete a directory synchronously. The operation will block the event loop until the removal is complete.

const rimraf = require('rimraf');
rimraf.sync('/path/to/directory');
console.log('Directory and its contents have been removed synchronously');

Promisified file and directory removal

This feature allows for the removal of a directory and its contents using promises, which can be more convenient when working with modern asynchronous code patterns. The provided code sample demonstrates how to promisify the rimraf function and use it with then/catch for handling the resolution and rejection of the promise.

const rimraf = require('rimraf');
const { promisify } = require('util');
const rimrafPromise = promisify(rimraf);

rimrafPromise('/path/to/directory').then(() => {
  console.log('Directory and its contents have been removed');
}).catch((err) => {
  console.error('An error occurred:', err);
});

Other packages similar to rimraf

fs-extra

fs-extra is a package that extends the built-in fs module with additional methods, including 'remove' and 'removeSync', which are similar to rimraf's functionality. It offers a broader set of file system operations, making it a more comprehensive choice for projects that require more than just file removal.

del

del is a package that provides file and directory deletion features with a promise-based API. It is similar to rimraf but offers more options for file selection and deletion, such as pattern matching. It is a good choice for users who prefer working with promises and need more control over what files to delete.

README

The UNIX command rm -rf for node.

Install with npm install rimraf, or just drop rimraf.js somewhere.

API

rimraf(f, callback)

The callback will be called with an error if there is one. Certain errors are handled for you:

• Windows: EBUSY and ENOTEMPTY - rimraf will back off a maximum of opts.maxBusyTries times before giving up, adding 100ms of wait between each attempt. The default maxBusyTries is 3.
• ENOENT - If the file doesn't exist, rimraf will return successfully, since your desired outcome is already the case.
• EMFILE - Since readdir requires opening a file descriptor, it's possible to hit EMFILE if too many file descriptors are in use. In the sync case, there's nothing to be done for this. But in the async case, rimraf will gradually back off with timeouts up to opts.emfileWait ms, which defaults to 1000.

rimraf.sync

It can remove stuff synchronously, too. But that's not so good. Use the async API. It's better.

CLI

If installed with npm install rimraf -g it can be used as a global command rimraf <path> which is useful for cross platform support.

mkdirp

If you need to create a directory recursively, check out mkdirp.