node_modules are the closet of your developer life. And just like that closet, it's packed to the brim with things you might never use again. Ever wondered how much digital real estate they're hogging?

Let's find out.

Visualizing the clutter

Pro Tip: Make sure you're in the right neighborhood. cd into the directory where most of your projects live, like documents or documents/github.

For the Mac and Linux folks

Want to know how much space you're dealing with? This command has got you covered:

cd documents
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune | xargs du -chs

Example output

255M ./Github/Trilon.io/node_modules
482M ./Github/Some_Demo/node_modules 
707M total

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If you're on Windows

Run this baby right here:

cd documents 
FOR /d /r . %d in (node_modules) DO @IF EXIST "%d" echo %d"

This will show you the plethora of node_modules you’ve been collecting. A digital hoarder’s dream!

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Time to take out the trash

Heads up: Don't just pull the trigger. Double-check your aim by running the above scripts to know exactly what you're about to delete.

For the Mac and Linux crew

Execute this to wipe node_modules off the face of your drive:

cd documents 
find . -name "node_modules" -type d -prune -exec rm -rf '{}' +

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And for the Windows warriors

cd documents 
FOR /d /r . %d in (node_modules) DO @IF EXIST "%d" rm -rf "%d"

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The afterparty

I usually free up about 40-60GB doing this. Your results may vary, but hey, free space is free space!

Wrapping it up

1. Check before you wreck — list all node_modules first.
2. Proceed with caution; this operation's got no Ctrl-Z.
3. Remember to run npm install on projects you'll be revisiting.

And there you have it. You just decluttered your digital world.

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