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File Globbing and Path Matching in Node.js
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File Globbing and Path Matching in Node.js

fast-glob, glob, globby, and micromatch are all npm packages used for matching file paths against glob patterns, but they serve different roles in the file discovery and filtering pipeline. glob is the original Node.js-style file finder that combines filesystem traversal with basic pattern matching. fast-glob is a modern, high-performance alternative that uses Bash 4.3-compliant globbing and supports advanced features like negative patterns. globby builds on top of fast-glob to provide additional developer-friendly features such as automatic .gitignore respect and directory expansion. micromatch, in contrast, does not perform any filesystem operations — it is a pure string-matching utility that checks whether given strings match glob patterns, making it ideal for filtering pre-existing lists of paths.

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Fast-Glob vs Glob vs Globby vs Micromatch: A Practical Guide for Frontend Developers

When building modern JavaScript applications — especially tooling, bundlers, or file processors — you’ll often need to find files that match certain patterns. The ecosystem offers several packages for this: fast-glob, glob, globby, and micromatch. While they may seem interchangeable at first glance, each serves a distinct role in the file-matching pipeline. Let’s break down what they do, how they differ, and when to use which.

📁 Core Responsibilities: What Each Package Actually Does

It’s critical to understand that not all of these are full globbing engines. Some handle pattern matching only, while others manage filesystem traversal too.

glob — The Original Node.js File Finder

The glob package is the oldest and most widely used. It combines filesystem walking with pattern matching using a custom implementation (not Bash-compatible by default). It’s synchronous and asynchronous, and ships with Node.js-style options like cwd, ignore, and dot.

// Using glob to find JS files
const glob = require('glob');

glob('src/**/*.js', { ignore: 'src/test/**' }, (err, files) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log(files); // Array of matched file paths
});

fast-glob — High-Performance Modern Alternative

fast-glob is built for speed and correctness. It uses Bash 4.3-compliant globbing via micromatch under the hood and supports advanced features like negative patterns (!) and multiple patterns in one call. It’s async-only (with sync via .sync()), and optimized for large directory trees.

// Using fast-glob with multiple patterns
const fg = require('fast-glob');

const entries = await fg([
  'src/**/*.{js,ts}',
  '!src/**/*.test.{js,ts}'
], { dot: true });

console.log(entries);

globby — User-Friendly Wrapper Around Fast-Glob

globby is not a standalone engine — it’s a convenience layer on top of fast-glob. It adds ergonomic APIs like expandDirectories, gitignore support, and better handling of mixed sync/async usage. If you’re already using fast-glob, globby gives you extra sugar without performance loss.

// Using globby with gitignore awareness
const globby = require('globby');

const files = await globby('src/**/*', {
  gitignore: true,
  expandDirectories: false
});

console.log(files);

micromatch — Pattern Matching Only (No Filesystem)

Crucially, micromatch does not read the filesystem. It only checks whether a given string matches a glob pattern. Think of it as the regex engine for globs. You’d use it when you already have a list of paths and want to filter them.

// Using micromatch to filter an existing array
const micromatch = require('micromatch');

const paths = ['src/a.js', 'src/b.test.js', 'docs/readme.md'];
const matches = micromatch(paths, ['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.test.js']);

console.log(matches); // ['src/a.js']

🔍 Key Differences in Practice

1. Filesystem Access vs Pure String Matching

This is the biggest divide:

  • glob, fast-glob, and globby → read the disk to find files.
  • micromatch → only matches strings; no I/O involved.

If you’re filtering a pre-existing list of filenames (e.g., from fs.readdir or a build manifest), use micromatch. If you need to discover files on disk, don’t use micromatch alone.

2. Glob Standard Compliance

  • glob uses its own pattern syntax, which differs from Bash in edge cases (e.g., brace expansion behavior).
  • fast-glob (and thus globby) uses Bash 4.3-compliant rules via micromatch, making patterns more predictable for developers familiar with shell scripting.

Example: Brace expansion

// glob: may not expand braces by default unless enabled
const g1 = glob.sync('src/{a,b}.js'); // Might return []

// fast-glob: always expands braces correctly
const g2 = fg.sync('src/{a,b}.js'); // Returns ['src/a.js', 'src/b.js'] if they exist

3. Negative Patterns and Multiple Inputs

  • glob requires manual filtering for negation (e.g., using minimatch separately).
  • fast-glob and globby support inline negation with ! in the same pattern array.
// With glob: negation is awkward
const all = glob.sync('src/**/*.js');
const tests = glob.sync('src/**/*.test.js');
const nonTests = all.filter(f => !tests.includes(f));

// With fast-glob: clean and declarative
const nonTests = fg.sync(['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.test.js']);

4. Gitignore and Dotfile Handling

  • glob ignores dotfiles by default (dot: false).
  • fast-glob also ignores dotfiles by default but lets you opt in.
  • globby goes further: with { gitignore: true }, it automatically respects .gitignore, which is invaluable for build tools.
// Skip node_modules and .gitignored files
const files = await globby('**/*', { gitignore: true });

🛠️ Real-World Decision Scenarios

Scenario 1: Building a CLI Tool That Processes Source Files

You need to find all .ts files except tests, respecting .gitignore.

  • ✅ Best choice: globby
  • Why? Gitignore support and clean negation reduce boilerplate.
const files = await globby(['src/**/*.ts', '!src/**/*.spec.ts'], { gitignore: true });

Scenario 2: Filtering Webpack Stats Output

You have an array of asset paths from a build and want to extract only CSS files.

  • ✅ Best choice: micromatch
  • Why? No filesystem needed — just string matching.
const cssAssets = micromatch(webpackStats.assets, ['**/*.css']);

Scenario 3: Legacy Project with Existing glob Usage

You’re maintaining a script that uses glob and works fine.

  • ✅ Stick with glob
  • Why? No compelling reason to refactor if requirements are simple and performance isn’t an issue.

Scenario 4: High-Performance Build Step with Complex Patterns

You’re writing a next-gen bundler that must resolve thousands of files quickly with Bash-compatible patterns.

  • ✅ Best choice: fast-glob
  • Why? Maximum speed and standards compliance without extra layers.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

  • Don’t use micromatch to find files — it won’t work. It’s a matcher, not a walker.
  • Avoid mixing glob and fast-glob patterns — their syntax differences can cause subtle bugs.
  • Remember that globby depends on fast-glob — so choosing globby means you’re already using fast-glob under the hood.

📊 Summary Table

PackageReads Disk?Pattern EngineNegationGitignoreUse Case
glob✅Custom❌ (manual)❌Legacy scripts, simple cases
fast-glob✅Bash 4.3 (via micromatch)✅❌High-performance, standards-compliant globbing
globby✅Bash 4.3 (via fast-glob)✅✅Developer-friendly globbing with extra features
micromatch❌Bash 4.3✅N/AFiltering existing path lists

💡 Final Recommendation

  • Need to find files on disk with modern features? → globby (for DX) or fast-glob (for raw speed).
  • Already have a list of paths and just need to filter them? → micromatch.
  • Working in a legacy codebase with no complex needs? → glob is fine, but consider migrating if you hit its limits.

Choose based on whether you need filesystem traversal or just string matching — that single distinction will guide you to the right tool every time.

How to Choose: fast-glob vs glob vs globby vs micromatch

  • fast-glob:

    Choose fast-glob when you need maximum performance and strict Bash 4.3-compliant globbing for filesystem traversal. It’s ideal for build tools, bundlers, or any scenario where you’re processing large directory trees with complex patterns like brace expansion or inline negation (!). Since it’s async-first and highly optimized, it’s the go-to for performance-critical applications that don’t need the extra sugar of globby.

  • glob:

    Choose glob only for simple, legacy-compatible use cases where you don’t need Bash-compliant patterns or advanced features like native negation. It’s synchronous by default and has quirks in pattern interpretation compared to modern shells, but it’s battle-tested and sufficient for basic file listing in scripts that don’t require high performance or complex filtering logic.

  • globby:

    Choose globby when you want the power of fast-glob with added conveniences like automatic .gitignore respect, easier handling of mixed sync/async workflows, and options like expandDirectories. It’s perfect for CLI tools, linters, or build scripts where developer experience matters and you want to avoid boilerplate for common tasks like skipping ignored files.

  • micromatch:

    Choose micromatch when you already have a list of file paths (e.g., from fs.readdir or a build manifest) and need to filter them using glob patterns — without any filesystem I/O. It’s the fastest and lightest option for pure string matching, and powers the pattern engine behind fast-glob and globby. Never use it if you need to discover files on disk.

Similar Npm Packages to fast-glob

fast-glob is a high-performance file matching library for Node.js that allows developers to efficiently search for files and directories using glob patterns. It is designed to be faster and more efficient than traditional glob libraries, making it an excellent choice for applications that require quick file system operations. Fast-glob supports various features such as streaming, caching, and asynchronous operations, which enhance its performance and usability.

While fast-glob is a robust option for file matching, there are several alternatives in the Node.js ecosystem that also provide globbing capabilities. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • glob is one of the most widely used globbing libraries in the Node.js community. It provides a simple API for matching files using glob patterns and supports various options for customization. While it is reliable and widely adopted, it may not match the performance of fast-glob, especially when dealing with large file sets or complex directory structures. Glob is a solid choice for projects that require basic file matching without the need for advanced performance optimizations.

  • micromatch is a powerful and flexible library for matching strings using glob patterns. It is designed to be more feature-rich than traditional glob libraries, offering advanced matching capabilities, such as support for complex patterns and performance optimizations. Micromatch is particularly useful when you need to match file paths or strings with intricate patterns. If your project requires advanced matching features beyond basic globbing, micromatch is an excellent alternative.

  • node-glob is another popular globbing library for Node.js that provides similar functionality to glob. It allows for file matching using glob patterns and supports various options for customization. While it is a reliable choice, it may not offer the same level of performance as fast-glob, particularly in scenarios involving a large number of files. Node-glob is suitable for projects that require straightforward globbing capabilities without the need for the highest performance.

To see how fast-glob compares with glob, micromatch, and node-glob, check out the comparison: Comparing fast-glob vs glob vs micromatch vs node-glob.

Similar Npm Packages to glob

glob is a popular npm package used for matching files and directories using glob patterns. It allows developers to specify patterns for file paths, making it easy to find files that match certain criteria. This is particularly useful in build processes, file manipulation tasks, and when working with file systems in Node.js applications. While glob is widely used, there are several alternatives that offer similar functionality with different features or performance characteristics. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • fast-glob is an alternative to glob that focuses on performance. It is designed to be faster than the traditional glob package, especially when dealing with a large number of files. Fast-glob uses asynchronous file system operations, making it suitable for applications that require high performance and efficiency. If speed is a priority in your file-matching tasks, fast-glob is an excellent choice.
  • globby is a wrapper around glob that simplifies the process of matching files. It allows you to use multiple glob patterns and provides a more user-friendly API. Globby is particularly useful when you want to combine multiple glob patterns or when you need to work with file paths in a more flexible way. If you are looking for a more convenient way to handle file matching with glob patterns, globby is worth considering.
  • micromatch is another alternative that offers advanced pattern matching capabilities. It supports a wide range of matching patterns, including glob, regex, and other custom patterns. Micromatch is particularly useful when you need more control over how files are matched and when you want to leverage advanced features like negation or custom matching logic. If your file-matching requirements go beyond basic glob patterns, micromatch provides the flexibility you need.

To see how glob compares with fast-glob, globby, and micromatch, check out the comparison: Comparing fast-glob vs glob vs globby vs micromatch.

Similar Npm Packages to globby

globby is a powerful and flexible library for matching file paths using glob patterns in Node.js applications. It builds on top of the popular glob module, providing additional features like support for multiple patterns, filtering, and the ability to handle asynchronous operations. Globby is particularly useful for tasks such as file searching, building, and managing assets in projects where you need to work with a large number of files and directories.

While globby is a great choice for file path matching, there are alternatives available in the Node.js ecosystem that also provide globbing capabilities. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:

  • fast-glob is a high-performance globbing library that aims to be faster than traditional glob implementations. It supports a wide range of glob patterns and is designed for speed and efficiency, making it suitable for projects that require fast file matching. Fast-glob is particularly beneficial when working with large file sets, as its performance optimizations can significantly reduce the time taken to match files compared to other libraries.
  • glob is the original globbing library for Node.js and serves as the foundation for many other glob-related libraries, including globby. It provides a straightforward API for matching files using glob patterns, but it lacks some of the advanced features and performance optimizations found in newer libraries like globby and fast-glob. Glob is a solid choice for simple use cases where you need basic file matching capabilities without additional overhead.

To see how globby compares with fast-glob and glob, check out the comparison: Comparing globby vs fast-glob vs glob.

Similar Npm Packages to micromatch

micromatch is a powerful and flexible pattern matching library for JavaScript, primarily used for matching file paths and strings against glob patterns. It is designed to be fast and efficient, making it a popular choice for developers who need to perform complex matching operations in their applications. Micromatch supports a wide range of globbing features, including braces, extglob, and more, allowing for sophisticated pattern matching.

While micromatch is a great option, there are several alternatives in the ecosystem that also provide similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy alternatives:

  • fast-glob is a highly efficient library for matching file paths using glob patterns. It is designed to be faster than traditional glob libraries, making it suitable for applications that require high performance when dealing with large sets of files. Fast-glob supports various features, including negation patterns and the ability to read from streams, making it a versatile choice for file searching and matching tasks.

  • glob is one of the original libraries for matching file paths using glob patterns in Node.js. It provides a straightforward API for matching files and directories based on specified patterns. While it is widely used and well-documented, it may not be as performant as some newer libraries like fast-glob. However, glob remains a solid choice for many projects, especially those that do not require the advanced features offered by more modern alternatives.

  • minimatch is a minimalistic pattern matching library that focuses on matching strings against glob patterns. It is lightweight and easy to use, making it a good option for simple matching tasks. Minimatch is particularly useful when you need to match strings without the overhead of a more complex library. However, it may lack some of the advanced features found in micromatch or fast-glob.

To see how micromatch compares with fast-glob, glob, and minimatch, check out the comparison: Comparing fast-glob vs glob vs micromatch vs minimatch.

README for fast-glob

fast-glob

It's a very fast and efficient glob library for Node.js.

This package provides methods for traversing the file system and returning pathnames that matched a defined set of a specified pattern according to the rules used by the Unix Bash shell with some simplifications, meanwhile results are returned in arbitrary order. Quick, simple, effective.

Table of Contents

Details

Highlights

  • Fast. Probably the fastest.
  • Supports multiple and negative patterns.
  • Synchronous, Promise and Stream API.
  • Object mode. Can return more than just strings.
  • Error-tolerant.

Old and modern mode

This package works in two modes, depending on the environment in which it is used.

  • Old mode. Node.js below 10.10 or when the stats option is enabled.
  • Modern mode. Node.js 10.10+ and the stats option is disabled.

The modern mode is faster. Learn more about the internal mechanism.

Pattern syntax

:warning: Always use forward-slashes in glob expressions (patterns and ignore option). Use backslashes for escaping characters.

There is more than one form of syntax: basic and advanced. Below is a brief overview of the supported features. Also pay attention to our FAQ.

:book: This package uses micromatch as a library for pattern matching.

Basic syntax

  • An asterisk (*) — matches everything except slashes (path separators), hidden files (names starting with .).
  • A double star or globstar (**) — matches zero or more directories.
  • Question mark (?) – matches any single character except slashes (path separators).
  • Sequence ([seq]) — matches any character in sequence.

:book: A few additional words about the basic matching behavior.

Some examples:

  • src/**/*.js — matches all files in the src directory (any level of nesting) that have the .js extension.
  • src/*.?? — matches all files in the src directory (only first level of nesting) that have a two-character extension.
  • file-[01].js — matches files: file-0.js, file-1.js.

Advanced syntax

:book: A few additional words about the advanced matching behavior.

Some examples:

  • src/**/*.{css,scss} — matches all files in the src directory (any level of nesting) that have the .css or .scss extension.
  • file-[[:digit:]].js — matches files: file-0.js, file-1.js, …, file-9.js.
  • file-{1..3}.js — matches files: file-1.js, file-2.js, file-3.js.
  • file-(1|2) — matches files: file-1.js, file-2.js.

Installation

npm install fast-glob

API

Asynchronous

fg(patterns, [options])
fg.async(patterns, [options])
fg.glob(patterns, [options])

Returns a Promise with an array of matching entries.

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const entries = await fg(['.editorconfig', '**/index.js'], { dot: true });

// ['.editorconfig', 'services/index.js']

Synchronous

fg.sync(patterns, [options])
fg.globSync(patterns, [options])

Returns an array of matching entries.

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const entries = fg.sync(['.editorconfig', '**/index.js'], { dot: true });

// ['.editorconfig', 'services/index.js']

Stream

fg.stream(patterns, [options])
fg.globStream(patterns, [options])

Returns a ReadableStream when the data event will be emitted with matching entry.

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const stream = fg.stream(['.editorconfig', '**/index.js'], { dot: true });

for await (const entry of stream) {
	// .editorconfig
	// services/index.js
}

patterns

  • Required: true
  • Type: string | string[]

Any correct pattern(s).

:1234: Pattern syntax

:warning: This package does not respect the order of patterns. First, all the negative patterns are applied, and only then the positive patterns. If you want to get a certain order of records, use sorting or split calls.

[options]

See Options section.

Helpers

generateTasks(patterns, [options])

Returns the internal representation of patterns (Task is a combining patterns by base directory).

fg.generateTasks('*');

[{
    base: '.', // Parent directory for all patterns inside this task
    dynamic: true, // Dynamic or static patterns are in this task
    patterns: ['*'],
    positive: ['*'],
    negative: []
}]
patterns
  • Required: true
  • Type: string | string[]

Any correct pattern(s).

[options]

See Options section.

isDynamicPattern(pattern, [options])

Returns true if the passed pattern is a dynamic pattern.

:1234: What is a static or dynamic pattern?

fg.isDynamicPattern('*'); // true
fg.isDynamicPattern('abc'); // false
pattern
  • Required: true
  • Type: string

Any correct pattern.

[options]

See Options section.

escapePath(path)

Returns the path with escaped special characters depending on the platform.

  • Posix:
    • *?|(){}[];
    • ! at the beginning of line;
    • @+! before the opening parenthesis;
    • \\ before non-special characters;
  • Windows:
    • (){}[]
    • ! at the beginning of line;
    • @+! before the opening parenthesis;
    • Characters like *?| cannot be used in the path (windows_naming_conventions), so they will not be escaped;
fg.escapePath('!abc');
// \\!abc
fg.escapePath('[OpenSource] mrmlnc – fast-glob (Deluxe Edition) 2014') + '/*.flac'
// \\[OpenSource\\] mrmlnc – fast-glob \\(Deluxe Edition\\) 2014/*.flac

fg.posix.escapePath('C:\\Program Files (x86)\\**\\*');
// C:\\\\Program Files \\(x86\\)\\*\\*\\*
fg.win32.escapePath('C:\\Program Files (x86)\\**\\*');
// Windows: C:\\Program Files \\(x86\\)\\**\\*

convertPathToPattern(path)

Converts a path to a pattern depending on the platform, including special character escaping.

  • Posix. Works similarly to the fg.posix.escapePath method.
  • Windows. Works similarly to the fg.win32.escapePath method, additionally converting backslashes to forward slashes in cases where they are not escape characters (!()+@{}[]).
fg.convertPathToPattern('[OpenSource] mrmlnc – fast-glob (Deluxe Edition) 2014') + '/*.flac';
// \\[OpenSource\\] mrmlnc – fast-glob \\(Deluxe Edition\\) 2014/*.flac

fg.convertPathToPattern('C:/Program Files (x86)/**/*');
// Posix: C:/Program Files \\(x86\\)/\\*\\*/\\*
// Windows: C:/Program Files \\(x86\\)/**/*

fg.convertPathToPattern('C:\\Program Files (x86)\\**\\*');
// Posix: C:\\\\Program Files \\(x86\\)\\*\\*\\*
// Windows: C:/Program Files \\(x86\\)/**/*

fg.posix.convertPathToPattern('\\\\?\\c:\\Program Files (x86)') + '/**/*';
// Posix: \\\\\\?\\\\c:\\\\Program Files \\(x86\\)/**/* (broken pattern)
fg.win32.convertPathToPattern('\\\\?\\c:\\Program Files (x86)') + '/**/*';
// Windows: //?/c:/Program Files \\(x86\\)/**/*

Options

Common options

concurrency

  • Type: number
  • Default: os.cpus().length

Specifies the maximum number of concurrent requests from a reader to read directories.

:book: The higher the number, the higher the performance and load on the file system. If you want to read in quiet mode, set the value to a comfortable number or 1.

More details

In Node, there are two types of threads: Event Loop (code) and a Thread Pool (fs, dns, …). The thread pool size controlled by the UV_THREADPOOL_SIZE environment variable. Its default size is 4 (documentation). The pool is one for all tasks within a single Node process.

Any code can make 4 real concurrent accesses to the file system. The rest of the FS requests will wait in the queue.

:book: Each new instance of FG in the same Node process will use the same Thread pool.

But this package also has the concurrency option. This option allows you to control the number of concurrent accesses to the FS at the package level. By default, this package has a value equal to the number of cores available for the current Node process. This allows you to set a value smaller than the pool size (concurrency: 1) or, conversely, to prepare tasks for the pool queue more quickly (concurrency: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY).

So, in fact, this package can only make 4 concurrent requests to the FS. You can increase this value by using an environment variable (UV_THREADPOOL_SIZE), but in practice this does not give a multiple advantage.

cwd

  • Type: string
  • Default: process.cwd()

The current working directory in which to search.

deep

  • Type: number
  • Default: Infinity

Specifies the maximum depth of a read directory relative to the start directory.

For example, you have the following tree:

dir/
└── one/            // 1
    └── two/        // 2
        └── file.js // 3

// With base directory
fg.sync('dir/**', { onlyFiles: false, deep: 1 }); // ['dir/one']
fg.sync('dir/**', { onlyFiles: false, deep: 2 }); // ['dir/one', 'dir/one/two']

// With cwd option
fg.sync('**', { onlyFiles: false, cwd: 'dir', deep: 1 }); // ['one']
fg.sync('**', { onlyFiles: false, cwd: 'dir', deep: 2 }); // ['one', 'one/two']

:book: If you specify a pattern with some base directory, this directory will not participate in the calculation of the depth of the found directories. Think of it as a cwd option.

followSymbolicLinks

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Indicates whether to traverse descendants of symbolic link directories when expanding ** patterns.

:book: Note that this option does not affect the base directory of the pattern. For example, if ./a is a symlink to directory ./b and you specified ['./a**', './b/**'] patterns, then directory ./a will still be read.

:book: If the stats option is specified, the information about the symbolic link (fs.lstat) will be replaced with information about the entry (fs.stat) behind it.

fs

  • Type: FileSystemAdapter
  • Default: fs.*

Custom implementation of methods for working with the file system. Supports objects with enumerable properties only.

export interface FileSystemAdapter {
    lstat?: typeof fs.lstat;
    stat?: typeof fs.stat;
    lstatSync?: typeof fs.lstatSync;
    statSync?: typeof fs.statSync;
    readdir?: typeof fs.readdir;
    readdirSync?: typeof fs.readdirSync;
}

ignore

  • Type: string[]
  • Default: []

An array of glob patterns to exclude matches. This is an alternative way to use negative patterns.

dir/
├── package-lock.json
└── package.json

fg.sync(['*.json', '!package-lock.json']);            // ['package.json']
fg.sync('*.json', { ignore: ['package-lock.json'] }); // ['package.json']

suppressErrors

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

By default this package suppress only ENOENT errors. Set to true to suppress any error.

:book: Can be useful when the directory has entries with a special level of access.

throwErrorOnBrokenSymbolicLink

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Throw an error when symbolic link is broken if true or safely return lstat call if false.

:book: This option has no effect on errors when reading the symbolic link directory.

Output control

absolute

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Return the absolute path for entries.

fg.sync('*.js', { absolute: false }); // ['index.js']
fg.sync('*.js', { absolute: true });  // ['/home/user/index.js']

:book: This option is required if you want to use negative patterns with absolute path, for example, !${__dirname}/*.js.

markDirectories

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Mark the directory path with the final slash.

fg.sync('*', { onlyFiles: false, markDirectories: false }); // ['index.js', 'controllers']
fg.sync('*', { onlyFiles: false, markDirectories: true });  // ['index.js', 'controllers/']

objectMode

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Returns objects (instead of strings) describing entries.

fg.sync('*', { objectMode: false }); // ['src/index.js']
fg.sync('*', { objectMode: true });  // [{ name: 'index.js', path: 'src/index.js', dirent: <fs.Dirent> }]

The object has the following fields:

  • name (string) — the last part of the path (basename)
  • path (string) — full path relative to the pattern base directory
  • dirent (fs.Dirent) — instance of fs.Dirent

:book: An object is an internal representation of entry, so getting it does not affect performance.

onlyDirectories

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Return only directories.

fg.sync('*', { onlyDirectories: false }); // ['index.js', 'src']
fg.sync('*', { onlyDirectories: true });  // ['src']

:book: If true, the onlyFiles option is automatically false.

onlyFiles

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Return only files.

fg.sync('*', { onlyFiles: false }); // ['index.js', 'src']
fg.sync('*', { onlyFiles: true });  // ['index.js']

stats

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Enables an object mode with an additional field:

  • stats (fs.Stats) — instance of fs.Stats
fg.sync('*', { stats: false }); // ['src/index.js']
fg.sync('*', { stats: true });  // [{ name: 'index.js', path: 'src/index.js', dirent: <fs.Dirent>, stats: <fs.Stats> }]

:book: Returns fs.stat instead of fs.lstat for symbolic links when the followSymbolicLinks option is specified.

:warning: Unlike object mode this mode requires additional calls to the file system. On average, this mode is slower at least twice. See old and modern mode for more details.

unique

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Ensures that the returned entries are unique.

fg.sync(['*.json', 'package.json'], { unique: false }); // ['package.json', 'package.json']
fg.sync(['*.json', 'package.json'], { unique: true });  // ['package.json']

If true and similar entries are found, the result is the first found.

Matching control

braceExpansion

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Enables Bash-like brace expansion.

:1234: Syntax description or more detailed description.

dir/
├── abd
├── acd
└── a{b,c}d

fg.sync('a{b,c}d', { braceExpansion: false }); // ['a{b,c}d']
fg.sync('a{b,c}d', { braceExpansion: true });  // ['abd', 'acd']

caseSensitiveMatch

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Enables a case-sensitive mode for matching files.

dir/
├── file.txt
└── File.txt

fg.sync('file.txt', { caseSensitiveMatch: false }); // ['file.txt', 'File.txt']
fg.sync('file.txt', { caseSensitiveMatch: true });  // ['file.txt']

dot

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

Allow patterns to match entries that begin with a period (.).

:book: Note that an explicit dot in a portion of the pattern will always match dot files.

dir/
├── .editorconfig
└── package.json

fg.sync('*', { dot: false }); // ['package.json']
fg.sync('*', { dot: true });  // ['.editorconfig', 'package.json']

extglob

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Enables Bash-like extglob functionality.

:1234: Syntax description.

dir/
├── README.md
└── package.json

fg.sync('*.+(json|md)', { extglob: false }); // []
fg.sync('*.+(json|md)', { extglob: true });  // ['README.md', 'package.json']

globstar

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: true

Enables recursively repeats a pattern containing **. If false, ** behaves exactly like *.

dir/
└── a
    └── b

fg.sync('**', { onlyFiles: false, globstar: false }); // ['a']
fg.sync('**', { onlyFiles: false, globstar: true });  // ['a', 'a/b']

baseNameMatch

  • Type: boolean
  • Default: false

If set to true, then patterns without slashes will be matched against the basename of the path if it contains slashes.

dir/
└── one/
    └── file.md

fg.sync('*.md', { baseNameMatch: false }); // []
fg.sync('*.md', { baseNameMatch: true });  // ['one/file.md']

FAQ

What is a static or dynamic pattern?

All patterns can be divided into two types:

  • static. A pattern is considered static if it can be used to get an entry on the file system without using matching mechanisms. For example, the file.js pattern is a static pattern because we can just verify that it exists on the file system.
  • dynamic. A pattern is considered dynamic if it cannot be used directly to find occurrences without using a matching mechanisms. For example, the * pattern is a dynamic pattern because we cannot use this pattern directly.

A pattern is considered dynamic if it contains the following characters (… — any characters or their absence) or options:

  • The caseSensitiveMatch option is disabled
  • \\ (the escape character)
  • *, ?, ! (at the beginning of line)
  • […]
  • (…|…)
  • @(…), !(…), *(…), ?(…), +(…) (respects the extglob option)
  • {…,…}, {…..…} (respects the braceExpansion option)

How to write patterns on Windows?

Always use forward-slashes in glob expressions (patterns and ignore option). Use backslashes for escaping characters. With the cwd option use a convenient format.

Bad

[
	'directory\\*',
	path.join(process.cwd(), '**')
]

Good

[
	'directory/*',
	fg.convertPathToPattern(process.cwd()) + '/**'
]

:book: Use the .convertPathToPattern package to convert Windows-style path to a Unix-style path.

Read more about matching with backslashes.

Why are parentheses match wrong?

dir/
└── (special-*file).txt

fg.sync(['(special-*file).txt']) // []

Refers to Bash. You need to escape special characters:

fg.sync(['\\(special-*file\\).txt']) // ['(special-*file).txt']

Read more about matching special characters as literals. Or use the .escapePath.

How to exclude directory from reading?

You can use a negative pattern like this: !**/node_modules or !**/node_modules/**. Also you can use ignore option. Just look at the example below.

first/
├── file.md
└── second/
    └── file.txt

If you don't want to read the second directory, you must write the following pattern: !**/second or !**/second/**.

fg.sync(['**/*.md', '!**/second']);                 // ['first/file.md']
fg.sync(['**/*.md'], { ignore: ['**/second/**'] }); // ['first/file.md']

:warning: When you write !**/second/**/* it means that the directory will be read, but all the entries will not be included in the results.

You have to understand that if you write the pattern to exclude directories, then the directory will not be read under any circumstances.

How to use UNC path?

You cannot use Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) paths as patterns (due to syntax) directly, but you can use them as cwd directory or use the fg.convertPathToPattern method.

// cwd
fg.sync('*', { cwd: '\\\\?\\C:\\Python27' /* or //?/C:/Python27 */ });
fg.sync('Python27/*', { cwd: '\\\\?\\C:\\' /* or //?/C:/ */ });

// .convertPathToPattern
fg.sync(fg.convertPathToPattern('\\\\?\\c:\\Python27') + '/*');

Compatible with node-glob?

node-globfast-glob
cwdcwd
root–
dotdot
nomount–
markmarkDirectories
nosort–
nouniqueunique
nobracebraceExpansion
noglobstarglobstar
noextextglob
nocasecaseSensitiveMatch
matchBasebaseNameMatch
nodironlyFiles
ignoreignore
followfollowSymbolicLinks
realpath–
absoluteabsolute

Benchmarks

You can see results here for every commit into the main branch.

  • Product benchmark – comparison with the main competitors.
  • Regress benchmark – regression between the current version and the version from the npm registry.

Changelog

See the Releases section of our GitHub project for changelog for each release version.

License

This software is released under the terms of the MIT license.

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