> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unbound.rip/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# File System

> Read, write, and check files against the documents directory.

### What is the file system module?

`fs` is a small wrapper over the native file manager for reading, writing, removing, and checking files. By default every path resolves against the platform's **documents directory** (the private, persistent folder Unbound stores its data in), so you work with short relative paths instead of absolute ones.

It's built on the [native](/modules/native) bridge, and it's the layer [storage](/modules/storage) and [i18n](/modules/i18n) persist through. When you `storage.set` something, this is what eventually writes it to disk.

```ts theme={null}
import { fs } from '@unbound-app/api';

await fs.write('my-plugin/data.json', JSON.stringify({ count: 1 }));
const raw = await fs.read('my-plugin/data.json');
```

### Reading & writing

`read` and `write` default to `utf8`. `read` resolves to the file's contents; `write` resolves once the file is on disk. `fs.Documents` holds the absolute documents path if you need it.

<CodeGroup>
  ```ts write theme={null}
  import { fs } from '@unbound-app/api';

  await fs.write('my-plugin/notes.txt', 'hello');
  ```

  ```ts read theme={null}
  const contents = await fs.read('my-plugin/notes.txt');
  // contents === 'hello'
  ```

  ```ts base64 theme={null}
  // Pass an encoding when you're not working with text.
  await fs.write('my-plugin/icon.png', base64Data, 'base64');
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  Relative paths resolve against `fs.Documents`. To read a file elsewhere on disk, pass an absolute path and `false` as the `inDocuments` argument: `fs.read('/abs/path', 'utf8', false)`.
</Note>

### Checking & removing

`exists` tells you whether a file is there; `rm` deletes it. Both resolve to a boolean.

```ts theme={null}
import { fs } from '@unbound-app/api';

if (await fs.exists('my-plugin/data.json')) {
	await fs.rm('my-plugin/data.json');
}
```

<Tip>
  You rarely need this for configuration; let [storage](/modules/storage) own that. Reach for `fs` directly when an addon ships its own data files (caches, exports, downloaded assets) that don't belong in the settings store.
</Tip>