How to Watch for File Changes in Node.js

[Dave Johnson]

In this article, I explore how to effectively watch for file changes in Node.js, particularly in the context of an IoT project that logs fish feeding times. I discuss various methods, starting with the built-in fs.watchFile, which is less efficient due to its polling nature, and moving on to fs.watch, which leverages the operating system's capabilities for real-time notifications. To mitigate issues with multiple events firing during file saves, I introduce a debounce function, ultimately demonstrating how to implement a robust solution that can accurately detect meaningful changes in the log file. The insights gained here can be applied to a variety of Node.js projects requiring file monitoring.