Node.js fs.mkdtemp() Method

The fs.mkdtemp() method is used to create a unique temporary directory. The folder name is created by appending 6 randomly generated characters behind a prefix string. It is also possible to create the temporary directory inside a folder by using a separator after the folder path.

Syntax:

fs.mkdtemp( prefix, options, callback )

Parameters: This method accept three parameters as mentioned above and described below:

• prefix: It is a string which will always be used before the six randomly generated numbers of the created directory.
• options: It is a string or an object with an encoding property, that can be used to specify the character encoding to be used.
• callback: It is the function that would be called when the method is executed.
  • err: It is an error that would be thrown if the operation fails.
  • folder: It is the path of the temporary folder that is created by the function.

Below examples illustrate the fs.mkdtemp() method in Node.js:

Example 1: This example creates a temporary directory with the prefix of “temp-” in the current directory.

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

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

fs.mkdtemp("temp-", (err, folder) => {
  if (err)
    console.log(err);
  else {
    console.log("The temporary folder path is:", folder);
  }
});

Output:

The temporary folder path is: temp-2jEcWI

Example 2: This example creates a temporary folder in the Operating System’s temporary directory.

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

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

// Import the os module
const os = require('os');

// Get the separator from the path module
const { sep } = require('path');

// Get the temporary directory of the system
const tmpDir = os.tmpdir();

fs.mkdtemp(`${tmpDir}${sep}`, (err, folder) => {
  if (err)
    console.log(err);
  else {
    console.log("The temporary folder path is:", folder);
  }
});

Output:

The temporary folder path is: C:\Users\userone\AppData\Local\Temp\2avQ7n

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