Node.js fs.realpathSync() Method
Last Updated :
28 Apr, 2025
The fs.realpathSync() method is used to synchronously compute the canonical pathname of a given path. It does so by resolving the ., .. and the symbolic links in the path and returning the resolved path.
Syntax:
fs.realpathSync( 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 resolved. It can be a String, Buffer or URL.
- options: It is an string or object that can be used to specify optional parameters that will affect the operation. It has one optional parameter:
- encoding: It is a string which defines the encoding of the resolved path.
Returns: It returns a String or a Buffer that represents the resolved path.
Below examples illustrate the fs.realpathSync() method in Node.js:
Example 1:
javascript
// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fs.realpathSync() method
// Import the filesystem module
const fs = require('fs');
console.log("Current Directory Path:", __dirname);
// Finding the canonical path
// one directory up
path1 = __dirname + "\\..";
resolvedPath = fs.realpathSync(path1);
console.log("One directory up resolved path is: ",
resolvedPath);
// Finding the canonical path
// two directories up
path2 = __dirname + "\\..\\..";
resolvedPath = fs.realpathSync(path2);
console.log("Two directories up resolved path is: ",
resolvedPath);
Output:
Current Directory Path: G:\tutorials\nodejs-fs-realPathSync
One directory up resolved path is: G:\tutorials
Two directories up resolved path is: G:\
Example 2:
javascript
// Node.js program to demonstrate the
// fs.realpathSync() method
// Import the filesystem module
const fs = require('fs');
path = __dirname + "\\..";
// Getting the canonical path is utf8 encoding
resolvedPath = fs.realpathSync(path, { encoding: "utf8" });
console.log("The resolved path is: ", resolvedPath);
// Getting the canonical path is hex encoding
resolvedPath = fs.realpathSync(path, { encoding: "hex" });
console.log("The resolved path is: ", resolvedPath);
// Getting the canonical path is base64 encoding
resolvedPath = fs.realpathSync(path, { encoding: "base64" });
console.log("The resolved path is: ", resolvedPath);
Output:
The resolved path is: G:\tutorials
The resolved path is: 473a5c7475746f7269616c73
The resolved path is: RzpcdHV0b3JpYWxz
Reference: https://nodejs.org/api/fs.html#fs_fs_realpathsync_path_options
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