`fs.existsSync() / access()`

Checks whether a path exists on the filesystem.

Since Node 0.x; access promises Node 11.1 Spec ↗

Syntax

existsSync(path)  /  await access(path[, mode])

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`path`	`string \| Buffer \| URL`	Yes	The path to test.
`mode`	`integer`	No	Optional accessibility check for `access`, e.g. `constants.R_OK` or `constants.W_OK`.

Returns

boolean | Promise<void> — existsSync returns a boolean; access resolves or rejects.

Examples

import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';

console.log(existsSync('./package.json'));

Output

true

import { access, constants } from 'node:fs/promises';

try {
  await access('./config.json', constants.R_OK);
  console.log('readable');
} catch {
  console.log('missing or no permission');
}

Output

readable

Notes

The async `fs.exists` callback is deprecated. Avoid check-then-use patterns: the file can change between the check and the operation (TOCTOU). Prefer just attempting the operation and handling `ENOENT`.