What is the purpose of the Node.js 'fs' module?

The fs (file system) module in Node.js provides an interface for interacting with the file system. It allows you to perform various file-related operations, such as reading from or writing to files, creating directories, and manipulating file metadata.

Here are some commonly used methods in the fs module:

Reading a File:

• fs.readFile(path[, options], callback): Reads the entire contents of a file asynchronously.

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.readFile('example.txt', 'utf8', (err, data) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log(data);
  });

Writing to a File:

• fs.writeFile(file, data[, options], callback): Writes data to a file asynchronously, replacing the file if it already exists.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.writeFile('example.txt', 'Hello, Node.js!', 'utf8', (err) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log('File written successfully');
  });

Reading a Directory:

• fs.readdir(path[, options], callback): Reads the contents of a directory asynchronously.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.readdir('.', (err, files) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log('Files in the current directory:', files);
  });

Creating a Directory:

• fs.mkdir(path[, options], callback): Creates a new directory asynchronously.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.mkdir('newDirectory', (err) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log('Directory created successfully');
  });

Checking if a File or Directory Exists:

• fs.exists(path, callback): Checks if a file or directory exists.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.exists('example.txt', (exists) => {
      console.log(`File exists: ${exists}`);
  });

File Stats:

• fs.stat(path, callback): Gets the file status asynchronously, providing information like size, modification time, and more.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.stat('example.txt', (err, stats) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log('File size:', stats.size);
      console.log('Last modified:', stats.mtime);
  });

Deleting a File:

• fs.unlink(path, callback): Deletes a file asynchronously.
   

  const fs = require('fs');

  fs.unlink('example.txt', (err) => {
      if (err) {
          console.error(err);
          return;
      }
      console.log('File deleted successfully');
  });