Node.js - delete files (fs.unlink() method)

In this article, we would like to show you how to delete files in Node.js.

To delete a file with the File System module we use the fs.unlink() method.

Below we create a script that deletes newFile.txt which is in the same directory. Then we run our script using the following command: node file.js.

Practical example:

var fs = require('fs');

fs.unlink('newFile.txt', function (err) {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('file deleted.');
});

Before:

After:

Note:

If the file you want to delete is in a different directory just specify relative path to the file as a fs.writeFile() first argument instead of just file name.

Practical example:

var fs = require('fs');

fs.unlink('./Folder/newFile.txt', function (err) {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('file deleted.');
});

Before:

After: