Test whether or not the given path exists by checking with the file system. Then call the callback argument with either true or false:

import { exists } from 'node:fs';

exists('/etc/passwd', (e) => {
  console.log(e ? 'it exists' : 'no passwd!');
});

The parameters for this callback are not consistent with other Node.js callbacks. Normally, the first parameter to a Node.js callback is an err parameter, optionally followed by other parameters. The fs.exists() callback has only one boolean parameter. This is one reason fs.access() is recommended instead of fs.exists().

Using fs.exists() to check for the existence of a file before calling fs.open(), fs.readFile(), or fs.writeFile() is not recommended. Doing so introduces a race condition, since other processes may change the file's state between the two calls. Instead, user code should open/read/write the file directly and handle the error raised if the file does not exist.

write (NOT RECOMMENDED)

import { exists, open, close } from 'node:fs';

exists('myfile', (e) => {
  if (e) {
    console.error('myfile already exists');
  } else {
    open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
      if (err) throw err;

      try {
        writeMyData(fd);
      } finally {
        close(fd, (err) => {
          if (err) throw err;
        });
      }
    });
  }
});

write (RECOMMENDED)

import { open, close } from 'node:fs';
open('myfile', 'wx', (err, fd) => {
  if (err) {
    if (err.code === 'EEXIST') {
      console.error('myfile already exists');
      return;
    }

    throw err;
  }

  try {
    writeMyData(fd);
  } finally {
    close(fd, (err) => {
      if (err) throw err;
    });
  }
});

read (NOT RECOMMENDED)

import { open, close, exists } from 'node:fs';

exists('myfile', (e) => {
  if (e) {
    open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
      if (err) throw err;

      try {
        readMyData(fd);
      } finally {
        close(fd, (err) => {
          if (err) throw err;
        });
      }
    });
  } else {
    console.error('myfile does not exist');
  }
});

read (RECOMMENDED)

import { open, close } from 'node:fs';

open('myfile', 'r', (err, fd) => {
  if (err) {
    if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
      console.error('myfile does not exist');
      return;
    }

    throw err;
  }

  try {
    readMyData(fd);
  } finally {
    close(fd, (err) => {
      if (err) throw err;
    });
  }
});

The "not recommended" examples above check for existence and then use the file; the "recommended" examples are better because they use the file directly and handle the error, if any.

In general, check for the existence of a file only if the file won't be used directly, for example when its existence is a signal from another process.