Every file comes with a set of details that we can inspect using Node.
In particular, using the stat() method provided by the fs module.
You call it passing a file path, and once Node gets the file details it will call the callback function you pass, with 2 parameters: an error message, and the file stats:
const fs = require('fs')
fs.stat('/Users/flavio/test.txt', (err, stats) => {
if (err) {
console.error(err)
return
}
//we have access to the file stats in `stats`
})
Node provides also a sync method, which blocks the thread until the file stats are ready:
const fs = require('fs')
try {
const stats = fs.stat('/Users/flavio/test.txt')
} catch (err) {
console.error(err)
}
The file information is included in the stats variable. What kind of information can we extract using the stats?
A lot, including:
- if the file is a directory or a file, using
stats.isFile()andstats.isDirectory() - if the file is a symbolic link using
stats.isSymbolicLink() - the file size in bytes using
stats.size.
There are other advanced methods, but the bulk of what you’ll use in your day-to-day programming is this.
const fs = require('fs')
fs.stat('/Users/flavio/test.txt', (err, stats) => {
if (err) {
console.error(err)
return
}
stats.isFile() //true
stats.isDirectory() //false
stats.isSymbolicLink() //false
stats.size //1024000 //= 1MB
})
One more thing! ⚠️ ✋
At the end of January I will organize the Web
Development
Bootcamp.
It's a 10-weeks long cohort online course where I will guide you to becoming a Web Developer.
It's not "just a course". It's a big event I organize once a year.
We'll start from zero, learn the fundamentals of Web Development, HTML CSS, JavaScript, Tailwind, Git, using the command line, VS Code, GitHub, Node.js, we'll then learn React, JSX, how to use PostgreSQL, Astro, Next.js, Prisma, deploying on Netlify/DigitalOcean/Fly/Vercel and much more!
At the end of the first 10 weeks you'll know how to create web sites and web applications and I'll unlock you the 2nd phase of the Bootcamp: you will get access to a large number of projects exclusive to the Bootcamp graduates, so you can follow my instructions to build things like private areas with authentication, clones of popular sites like Twitter YouTube Reddit, create e-commerce sites, and much much more.
Because once you got the fundamentals, you only learn by working on real, exciting projects.
To find out more, visit bootcamp.dev
It's a 10-weeks long cohort online course where I will guide you to becoming a Web Developer.
It's not "just a course". It's a big event I organize once a year.
We'll start from zero, learn the fundamentals of Web Development, HTML CSS, JavaScript, Tailwind, Git, using the command line, VS Code, GitHub, Node.js, we'll then learn React, JSX, how to use PostgreSQL, Astro, Next.js, Prisma, deploying on Netlify/DigitalOcean/Fly/Vercel and much more!
At the end of the first 10 weeks you'll know how to create web sites and web applications and I'll unlock you the 2nd phase of the Bootcamp: you will get access to a large number of projects exclusive to the Bootcamp graduates, so you can follow my instructions to build things like private areas with authentication, clones of popular sites like Twitter YouTube Reddit, create e-commerce sites, and much much more.
Because once you got the fundamentals, you only learn by working on real, exciting projects.
To find out more, visit bootcamp.dev