Node.js fsPromises.rmdir() Method

The fsPromises.rmdir() method is used to delete a directory at the given path. It can also be used recursively to remove nested directories. It resolves the Promise with no arguments upon success.

Syntax:

fsPromises.rmdir( path, options )

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

• path: It holds the path of the directory that has to be removed. It can be a String, Buffer or URL.
• options: It is an object that can be used to specify optional parameters that will affect the operation. It has three optional parameters:
  • recursive: It is a boolean value that specifies if recursive directory removal is performed. In this mode, errors are not reported if the specified path is not found and the operation is retried on failure. The default value is false.
  • maxRetries: It is an integer value that specifies the number of times Node.js will try to perform the operation when it fails due to any error. The operations are performed after the given retry delay. This option is ignored if the recursive option is not set to true. The default value is 0.
  • retryDelay: It is an integer value that specifies the time to wait in milliseconds before the operation is retried. This option is ignored if the recursive option is not set to true. The default value is 100 milliseconds.

Below examples illustrate the fsPromises.rmdir() method in Node.js:

*Create “gfg_directory” in the machine path to run the code properly.

Example 1: This example uses fsPromises.rmdir() method to delete a directory.

Filename: index.js

JavaScript

// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fsPromises.rmdir() method

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

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

(async function main() {
    try {

        fsPromises.rmdir("gfg_directory")
        console.log("Folder Deleted!");

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

    } catch (err) {
        console.error(err);
    }
})();

// 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:
gfg_directory
index.js
package.json
Folder Deleted!

Current filenames:
index.js
package.json

Example 2: This example uses fsPromsies.rmdir() method with the recursive parameter to delete nested directories.

JavaScript

// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fsPromises.rmdir() method

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

// Get the current filenames
// in the directory
(async function main() {
    try {
        getCurrentFilenames();
        // Trying to delete nested directories
        // without the recursive parameter
        fsPromises.rmdir("gfg_directory", { recursive: false })
        console.log("Non Recursive: Directories Deleted!");

        // Using the recursive option to delete
        // multiple directories that are nested
        fsPromises.rmdir("gfg_directory", { recursive: true })
        console.log("Recursive: Directories Deleted!");

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

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

    } catch (err) {
        console.error(err);
    }
})();

Output:

Current filenames:
gfg_directory
index.js
package.json

[Error: ENOTEMPTY: directory not empty,  
rmdir 'F:\tutorials\nodejs-fs-rmdir\directory_one'] {
 errno: -4051,
 code: 'ENOTEMPTY',
 syscall: 'rmdir',
 path: 'F:\\tutorials\\nodejs-fs-rmdir\\directory_one'
}
Recursive: Directories Deleted!

Current filenames:
index.js
package.json

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