fs-plus
node's fs module with some helpful additions
A helper library that makes working with files and folders in Node.js easier by adding convenient shortcuts for common tasks like moving directories and checking file types.
fs-plus is a helper library that makes it easier for developers to work with files and folders in their applications. It takes the standard file-handling tools built into Node.js and adds a layer of convenience on top, providing shortcuts for common tasks like finding the user's home directory, moving folders, or checking whether a file is an image.
When a developer works with files in code, the built-in tools can be surprisingly clunky. Simple tasks often require multiple steps and careful error handling. This library fills in those gaps. For example, if a program needs to save a file, the library can automatically create any missing parent folders along the way. It also handles the ~ symbol, automatically expanding it to the user's home directory, and can convert long, ugly file paths into cleaner, shortened versions using that same symbol.
Someone building a desktop application or a text editor would find this especially useful. The project originally came from Atom, a now-discontinued code editor, where handling files smoothly was a core part of the experience. A developer building a similar app today might use it to quickly traverse a folder structure, copy directories, or figure out if a file is a PDF, an image, or a compressed archive without writing that detection logic from scratch.
The library provides both synchronous versions of these tools, which pause the program until the file operation finishes, and asynchronous versions, which let the program continue running while the file system catches up. This gives developers flexibility depending on how their application is built. It also includes a helper to hash the contents of a file, which can be useful for checking if a file has changed.
Where it fits
- Build a desktop application that needs to save files and create folders automatically.
- Create a text editor that smoothly reads and writes files across a project folder structure.
- Detect file types like images, PDFs, or archives without writing custom logic.
- Hash file contents to check if a file has changed since the last read.