recursive filesystem operations api

[boneskull]

We've got some feedback on the recursive rmdir API; see nodejs/node#34278

Given that the recursive option is still experimental, we can still break it, if necessary. Note that the recursive option for mkdir is not marked experimental.

This may be a good topic for a deep-dive session as noted by @bengl in #73. Also, input on API design from @nodejs/fs would be helpful.

Questions include, but are not limited to:

• Do we want to add more granular options to fs.rmdir? e.g., allowRetries, force
• Do we want to move the recursive functionality to a new method, or a new module entirely?
• Should POSIX alignment be a goal for the fs module? Even if not, should we stay out of it anyway?
• fs.rmdir w/ recursive actually functions like rm -f if given a file instead of a directory. Should it do that?

Note: It does not sound like outright removal of this functionality is being suggested anywhere.

It's pretty clear to me, anyway, that the current API is a product of various constraints, and not necessarily technical ones...

[wesleytodd]

I commented in the meeting that much usage of these api's probably comes from a handful of fs wrapper libraries. To follow up on those, here are the most popular ones I know of:

• https://github.com/jprichardson/node-fs-extra
  • I learned from this investigation that fs-extra actually wraps graceful-fs (see below)
• https://github.com/isaacs/node-graceful-fs
  • I didn't find any direct coupling to the recursive apis, but I am new to this source so I could have missed it
• https://github.com/sindresorhus/make-dir
  • It uses the recursive option in here. No evidence to me that this would break.