fsstatSyncpathmtime

fsstatSyncpathmtime is a concept describing the synchronous retrieval of a file’s metadata and its modification time in Node.js. It centers on using the fs module’s synchronous stat functions to obtain a Stats object, from which the modification time can be read.

Core functionality

- The functions fs.statSync(path) and fs.lstatSync(path) return a Stats object that describes the filesystem entry at the given path. statSync follows symbolic links, while lstatSync returns information about the link itself.

- The Stats object includes the mtime property, a Date representing the last modification time, and mtimeMs, a numeric timestamp in milliseconds since the epoch.

Path handling

- The path argument can be any valid filesystem path. Using path.resolve (from the path module) can normalize and convert a relative path to an absolute one before calling statSync or lstatSync.

Error handling

- Both statSync and lstatSync throw errors if the path does not exist or is inaccessible. These errors should be caught with try-catch blocks or propagated appropriately in startup scripts or tooling environments.

Performance and usage considerations

- Because these calls are synchronous, they block the event loop. They are suitable for command-line tools, startup routines, or scripts where blocking behavior is acceptable, but are generally discouraged in high-concurrency servers or long-running processes.

- For non-blocking behavior, the asynchronous counterparts fs.stat and fs.lstat should be used, with the same interpretation of mtime and mtimeMs on the resulting Stats object.

Related concepts

- fs module in Node.js, fs.Stats object, and the distinction between mtime and other timestamp fields such as atime and ctime.