Read a file one line at a time in node.js?

Since Node.js v0.12 and as of Node.js v4.0.0, there is a stable readline core module. Here's the easiest way to read lines from a file, without any external modules:

const fs = require('fs');
const readline = require('readline');

async function processLineByLine() {
  const fileStream = fs.createReadStream('input.txt');

  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: fileStream,
    crlfDelay: Infinity
  });
  // Note: we use the crlfDelay option to recognize all instances of CR LF
  // ('\r\n') in input.txt as a single line break.

  for await (const line of rl) {
    // Each line in input.txt will be successively available here as `line`.
    console.log(`Line from file: ${line}`);
  }
}

processLineByLine();

Or alternatively:

var lineReader = require('readline').createInterface({
  input: require('fs').createReadStream('file.in')
});

lineReader.on('line', function (line) {
  console.log('Line from file:', line);
});

The last line is read correctly (as of Node v0.12 or later), even if there is no final \n.

UPDATE: this example has been added to Node's API official documentation.

You don't have to open the file, but instead, you have to create a ReadStream.

fs.createReadStream

Then pass that stream to Lazy

Update in 2019

An awesome example is already posted on official Nodejs documentation. here

This requires the latest Nodejs is installed on your machine. >11.4

const fs = require('fs');
const readline = require('readline');

async function processLineByLine() {
  const fileStream = fs.createReadStream('input.txt');

  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: fileStream,
    crlfDelay: Infinity
  });
  // Note: we use the crlfDelay option to recognize all instances of CR LF
  // ('\r\n') in input.txt as a single line break.

  for await (const line of rl) {
    // Each line in input.txt will be successively available here as `line`.
    console.log(`Line from file: ${line}`);
  }
}

processLineByLine();

For such a simple operation there shouldn't be any dependency on third-party modules. Go easy.

var fs = require('fs'),
    readline = require('readline');

var rd = readline.createInterface({
    input: fs.createReadStream('/path/to/file'),
    output: process.stdout,
    console: false
});

rd.on('line', function(line) {
    console.log(line);
});