statSync fails in detecting link

[FStefanni]

Version

v18.15.0

Platform

Linux debian 6.1.0-7-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.20-2 (2023-04-08) x86_64 GNU/Linux

Subsystem

No response

What steps will reproduce the bug?

Just call statSync() on node_modules/.bin/mocha:

import fs from "node:fs"

const mocha = "<abs path>/node_modules/.bin/mocha";
const stat = fs.statSync(mocha);
console.log(`File: ${stat.isFile()}, Link: ${stat.isSymbolicLink()}`);

Result:

File: true, Link: false

But if I run in bash:

ls -l <abs path>/node_modules/.bin/mocha
stat <abs path>/node_modules/.bin/mocha

Result:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 user group 21 20 apr 08.33 <abs path>/node_modules/.bin/mocha -> ../mocha/bin/mocha.js

File: <abs path>/node_modules/.bin/mocha -> ../mocha/bin/mocha.js
Size: 21        	Blocks: 0          IO Block: 4096   symbolic link
Device: 259,2	Inode: 14118017    Links: 1
Access: (0777/lrwxrwxrwx)  Uid: ( 1000/   user)   Gid: ( 1000/   group)
Access: 2023-04-20 08:54:29.337525872 +0200
Modify: 2023-04-20 08:33:01.270951671 +0200
Change: 2023-04-20 08:33:01.270951671 +0200
 Birth: 2023-04-20 08:33:01.270951671 +0200

So it is truly a symbolic link.

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

Always

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

it should say that it is a link and not a regular file

What do you see instead?

It says it is a regular file

Additional information

No response

[targos]

fs.stat follows symlinks. You need to call lstat if you don't want this behavior

[FStefanni]

Hi,

yes you are right I missed it in the doc.
Maybe it is possible to explicitly write this in the documentation of all stat() function variants (stat, promises.stat(), etc.), so it will be clearer? (I suppose the "doc" tag of this issue means exactly this :) )

Regards

[targos]

I think it would be helpful to mention it directly in the documentation, yes.

[amitanshusahu]

hey @targos , i would like to work on it if its open, can i git this assigned :)

[mertcanaltin]

@targos I tried to make an edit