> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/nodejs/userland-migrations/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# fs.rmdir to fs.rm

> Migrate from fs.rmdir with recursive option to fs.rm for directory removal (DEP0147)

This recipe migrates from the deprecated `fs.rmdir()` method (with recursive option) to the modern `fs.rm()` method for removing directories.

## Deprecation

Node.js deprecated `fs.rmdir()` and its variants when used with the `recursive` option. Use `fs.rm()` instead.

See [DEP0147](https://nodejs.org/api/deprecations.html#DEP0147) for more details.

## Usage

Run this codemod with:

```bash theme={null}
npx codemod nodejs/rmdir
```

## Before/After

### Callback API

```diff theme={null}
  // Using fs.rmdir with the recursive option
- fs.rmdir(path, { recursive: true }, callback);
+ // Using fs.rm with recursive and force options
+ fs.rm(path, { recursive: true, force: true }, callback);
```

### Synchronous API

```diff theme={null}
  // Using fs.rmdirSync with the recursive option
- fs.rmdirSync(path, { recursive: true });
+ // Using fs.rmSync with recursive and force options
+ fs.rmSync(path, { recursive: true, force: true });
```

### Promise API

```diff theme={null}
  // Using fs.promises.rmdir with the recursive option
- fs.promises.rmdir(path, { recursive: true });
+ // Using fs.promises.rm with recursive and force options
+ fs.promises.rm(path, { recursive: true, force: true });
```

## What It Does

* Replaces `fs.rmdir()` with `fs.rm()` when `recursive: true` is used
* Replaces `fs.rmdirSync()` with `fs.rmSync()` when `recursive: true` is used
* Replaces `fs.promises.rmdir()` with `fs.promises.rm()` when `recursive: true` is used
* Adds `force: true` option for safer directory removal
* Works with all three APIs: callback, synchronous, and promise-based

## Why force: true?

The `force: true` option ensures that errors are ignored if the path doesn't exist, making the operation more robust and matching the behavior of the deprecated `rmdir` with `recursive: true`.

## Complete Example

```diff theme={null}
  const fs = require('node:fs');
  const path = require('node:path');

  const tempDir = path.join(__dirname, 'temp');

  // Callback style
- fs.rmdir(tempDir, { recursive: true }, (err) => {
+ fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true }, (err) => {
    if (err) throw err;
    console.log('Directory removed');
  });

  // Sync style
  try {
-   fs.rmdirSync(tempDir, { recursive: true });
+   fs.rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
    console.log('Directory removed');
  } catch (err) {
    console.error(err);
  }

  // Promise style
- await fs.promises.rmdir(tempDir, { recursive: true });
+ await fs.promises.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
  console.log('Directory removed');
```

<Warning>
  The `fs.rm()` method is more powerful and should be used with caution. Always verify the path before calling `fs.rm()` with `recursive: true` to avoid accidentally deleting important files.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  For simple directory removal without contents, you can still use `fs.rmdir()` without the `recursive` option. The deprecation only applies when `recursive: true` is specified.
</Tip>