# sindresorhus/del

Delete files and directories

Repository: https://github.com/sindresorhus/del
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/del
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-07-21T15:58:02+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 16, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4456, "days_push": 43, "days_rel": 349, "gap_med": 346, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1344, forks 68 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:27.198876+00:00)

## What it is
del is a Node.js library for deleting files and directories using glob patterns, with both Promise-based and synchronous APIs. It protects against accidentally deleting the current working directory and supports dry runs, ignore patterns, and multiple targets.

## Use cases
- delete files matching glob patterns in node
- clean up build output directories
- remove temp files with glob patterns
- programmatically delete folders in a build script
- dry run to preview which files would be deleted
- rimraf alternative with promise api

## When to choose
- you need glob-based file deletion in a Node.js script or build pipeline
- you want safety guards against deleting the cwd or parent directories
- you prefer a Promise API over rimraf's callback style

## When to avoid
- you need to move files to trash/recycle bin instead of permanent deletion
- you are not working in a Node.js/JavaScript environment
- you need cross-platform shell-level deletion outside JavaScript

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: file-system, developer-tools
- domain: files, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: file-deletion, glob-patterns, promise-api, npm-package, javascript, automation, nodejs

## Member repositories
- sindresorhus/del (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:27.198876+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:42:50.901647+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/sindresorhus/del (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:27.198876+00:00, sha e95ac9ce5a87)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/del (fetched 2026-08-29T12:02:30.004773+00:00, sha 74c995ebc140)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.