Node.js fs.existsSync() Method

The fs.existsSync() method is used to synchronously check if a file already exists in the given path or not. It returns a boolean value which indicates the presence of a file.

Syntax:

fs.existsSync( path )

Parameters: This method accepts a single parameter as mentioned above and described below:

• path: It holds the path of the file that has to be checked. It can be a String, Buffer or URL.

Return Value: It returns a boolean value i.e true if the file exists otherwise returns false.

Below programs illustrate the fs.existsSync() method in Node.js:

Example 1:

// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fs.existsSync() method

// Import the filesystem module
const fs = require('fs');

// Get the current filenames
// in the directory
getCurrentFilenames();

let fileExists = fs.existsSync('hello.txt');
console.log("hello.txt exists:", fileExists);

fileExists = fs.existsSync('world.txt');
console.log("world.txt exists:", fileExists);

// Function to get current filenames
// in directory
function getCurrentFilenames() {
  console.log("\nCurrent filenames:");
  fs.readdirSync(__dirname).forEach(file => {
    console.log(file);
  });
  console.log("\n");
}

Output:

Current filenames:
hello.txt
index.js
package.json


hello.txt exists: true
world.txt exists: false

Example 2:

// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fs.existsSync() method

// Import the filesystem module
const fs = require('fs');

// Get the current filenames
// in the directory
getCurrentFilenames();

// Check if the file exists
let fileExists = fs.existsSync('hello.txt');
console.log("hello.txt exists:", fileExists);

// If the file does not exist
// create it
if (!fileExists) {
  console.log("Creating the file")
  fs.writeFileSync("hello.txt", "Hello World");
}

// Get the current filenames
// in the directory
getCurrentFilenames();

// Check if the file exists again
fileExists = fs.existsSync('hello.txt');
console.log("hello.txt exists:", fileExists);

// Function to get current filenames
// in directory
function getCurrentFilenames() {
  console.log("\nCurrent filenames:");
  fs.readdirSync(__dirname).forEach(file => {
    console.log(file);
  });
  console.log("\n");
}

Output:

Current filenames:
hello.txt
index.js
package.json


hello.txt exists: true

Current filenames:
hello.txt
index.js
package.json


hello.txt exists: true

Reference: https://nodejs.org/api/fs.html#fs_fs_existssync_path