I'm a Node.js developer looking to understand file system operations. On nodejs.org/learn, please find the 'File System' section. Specifically, explain the difference between synchronous and asynchronous file reading, how to recursively create a directory, and the purpose of file descriptors. Provide code examples for reading a file synchronously and asynchronously.
Navigate to 'https://nodejs.org/en/learn'. Scroll down to the 'Table of Contents' section. Click on the 'File System' link within the 'Table of Contents'. On the 'File System' page, locate the section on reading files and identify the difference between synchronous and asynchronous methods. Identify how to recursively create a directory. Locate the section on file descriptors and explain their purpose. Extract a code example for reading a file synchronously. Extract a code example for reading a file asynchronously. Synthesize all collected information into a concise answer.
The agent successfully navigates to the 'File System' section via the 'Table of Contents'. The agent explains that synchronous file reading blocks the event loop until the operation completes, while asynchronous reading does not, allowing other code to execute. The agent identifies that `fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true })` or similar is used to recursively create a directory. The agent explains that a file descriptor is an abstract handle to a resource, such as a file or socket, used by the operating system. The agent provides a code example for synchronous file reading (e.g., `fs.readFileSync`). The agent provides a code example for asynchronous file reading (e.g., `fs.readFile` with a callback or `fsPromises.readFile` with `await`). All collected information is synthesized into a concise answer.