About stdlib...
We believe in a future in which the web is a preferred environment for numerical computation. To help realize this future, we've built stdlib. stdlib is a standard library, with an emphasis on numerical and scientific computation, written in JavaScript (and C) for execution in browsers and in Node.js.
The library is fully decomposable, being architected in such a way that you can swap out and mix and match APIs and functionality to cater to your exact preferences and use cases.
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Remove a directory entry.
npm install @stdlib/fs-unlinkAlternatively,
- To load the package in a website via a
scripttag without installation and bundlers, use the ES Module available on theesmbranch (see README). - If you are using Deno, visit the
denobranch (see README for usage intructions). - For use in Observable, or in browser/node environments, use the Universal Module Definition (UMD) build available on the
umdbranch (see README). - To use as a general utility for the command line, install the corresponding CLI package globally.
The branches.md file summarizes the available branches and displays a diagram illustrating their relationships.
To view installation and usage instructions specific to each branch build, be sure to explicitly navigate to the respective README files on each branch, as linked to above.
var unlink = require( '@stdlib/fs-unlink' );Asynchronously removes a directory entry specified by path.
var join = require( 'path' ).join;
var fpath = join( __dirname, 'examples', 'fixtures', 'file.txt' );
unlink( fpath, done );
function done( error ) {
if ( error ) {
throw error;
}
}Synchronously removes a directory entry specified by path.
var join = require( 'path' ).join;
var fpath = join( __dirname, 'examples', 'fixtures', 'file.txt' );
var err = unlink.sync( fpath );
if ( err instanceof Error ) {
throw err;
}-
If a provided
pathis a symbolic link, the function removes the symbolic link named by thepathand does not affect any file or directory named by the contents of the symbolic link. Otherwise, the function removes the link named by the providedpathand decrements the link count of the file referenced by the link.When a file's link count becomes
0and no process has the file open, the space occupied by the file is freed and the file is no longer accessible. If one or more processes have the file open when the last link is removed, the link is removed before the function returns; however, the removal of file contents is postponed until all references to the file are closed.If the
pathrefers to a socket, FIFO, or device, processes which have the object open may continue to use it. -
The path argument should not be a directory. To remove a directory, use
rmdir(). -
The difference between
unlink.syncandfs.unlinkSync()is thatfs.unlinkSync()will throw if anerroris encountered (e.g., if given a non-existent path) and this API will return anerror. Hence, the following anti-patternvar fs = require( 'fs' ); // Check for path existence to prevent an error being thrown... if ( fs.existsSync( '/path/to' ) ) { fs.unlinkSync( '/path/to/file.txt' ); }
can be replaced by an approach which addresses existence via
errorhandling.var unlink = require( '@stdlib/fs-unlink' ); // Explicitly handle the error... var err = unlink.sync( '/path/to/file.txt' ); if ( err instanceof Error ) { // You choose what to do... throw err; }
var join = require( 'path' ).join;
var readFile = require( '@stdlib/fs-read-file' ).sync;
var writeFile = require( '@stdlib/fs-write-file' ).sync;
var exists = require( '@stdlib/fs-exists' ).sync;
var unlink = require( '@stdlib/fs-unlink' ).sync;
var src = join( __dirname, 'examples', 'fixtures', 'file.txt' );
var dest = join( __dirname, 'examples', 'tmp.txt' );
// Create a temporary file:
writeFile( dest, readFile( src ) );
// Confirm that the temporary file exists:
console.log( exists( dest ) );
// => true
// Delete the temporary file:
unlink( dest );
// Confirm that the temporary file no longer exists:
console.log( exists( dest ) );
// => falseTo use as a general utility, install the CLI package globally
npm install -g @stdlib/fs-unlink-cliUsage: unlink [options] <path>
Options:
-h, --help Print this message.
-V, --version Print the package version.
- Relative paths are resolved relative to the current working directory.
- Errors are written to
stderr.
$ unlink ./examples/fixtures/file.txt@stdlib/fs-exists: test whether a path exists on the filesystem.
This package is part of stdlib, a standard library for JavaScript and Node.js, with an emphasis on numerical and scientific computing. The library provides a collection of robust, high performance libraries for mathematics, statistics, streams, utilities, and more.
For more information on the project, filing bug reports and feature requests, and guidance on how to develop stdlib, see the main project repository.
See LICENSE.
Copyright © 2016-2025. The Stdlib Authors.
