Working with the File System & Streams
Learn how to read and write files in Node.js using the fs module, both synchronously and asynchronously, and discover how streams let you process large amounts of data efficiently.
Why the File System Matters
Most backends eventually read or write files on disk — logs, config, uploads, reports. Node's built-in fs module handles it all; just require it.
const fs = require('fs');
console.log(typeof fs.readFile);Synchronous vs Asynchronous
Most fs methods come in two flavors: sync (like readFileSync) blocks the event loop, async doesn't. On servers, always prefer async.
const fs = require('fs');
const data = fs.readFileSync('config.txt', 'utf8');
console.log(data);All lessons in this course
- Introduction to Node.js & NPM
- Node.js Module System Explained
- Asynchronous JavaScript & Event Loop
- Working with the File System & Streams