Difference Between process.cwd() and __dirname in Node.js

Last Updated : 16 Oct, 2024

In Node.js, both process.cwd() and __dirname are used to get the directory paths, but they serve different purposes. The key difference is that process.cwd() returns the current working directory from which the Node.js process was started, while __dirname returns the directory name of the current module (the file in which the code is running).

This means that process.cwd() can change based on where the process is run, whereas __dirname is constant and points to the location of the script file. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between process.cwd() and __dirname in more detail.

What is process.cwd()?

process.cwd() stands for "current working directory". It returns the directory from which the Node.js process was started. In other words, process.cwd() gives you the directory where the Node.js command was executed, regardless of where the script is located.

Syntax:

process.cwd();

What is __dirname?

__dirname is a built-in variable in Node.js that gives the absolute path of the directory containing the current JavaScript file (the file in which __dirname is used). Unlike process.cwd(), which is dependent on where the process is started, __dirname always points to the directory of the script file.

Now Let's see a few examples demonstrating both these.

Example 1:

index.js

// Logging process.cwd() output console.log("process.cwd(): ", process.cwd());  // Logging __dirname output console.log("__dirname: ", __dirname);

Output:

process.cwd(): C:\src
__dirname: C:\src

In this case node process is running in the current directory

Example 2: Create the following 2 files with the following folder structure:

src/
___ index.js
___ src2/
    ___index2.js

FilePath: src/index.js

index.js

// Read and execute the index2.js file require('./sub1/index2.js')

FilePath: src/src2/index2.js

index2.js

// Logging process.cwd() output console.log("process.cwd(): ", process.cwd());  // Logging __dirname output console.log("__dirname: ", __dirname);

Output:

process cwd:  C:\src
__dirname:  C:\src\src2

This shows that the current node process was running in src/ folder i.e node index.js and the directory of the file index2.js was at src/src2.

Difference Between process.cwd() and __dirname

Feature	process.cwd()	__dirname
Definition	Returns the current working directory where the Node.js process was started.	Returns the directory name of the current module (file).
Changes with Directory	Can change based on where you execute the Node.js script.	Always refers to the location of the script file, remains constant.
Use Case	Useful for determining where the process is running (e.g., loading configuration files).	Useful for resolving relative paths within a specific module.
Scope	A global value tied to the Node.js process.	Tied to the script/module, cannot be changed.

Conclusion

Both process.cwd() and __dirname are essential tools in Node.js, but they serve different purposes:

process.cwd() is useful for determining the current working directory, which can change depending on where the Node.js process is started.
__dirname always refers to the directory where the current script is located, making it the go-to choice for resolving relative paths within your modules.