2-Minute Python Guide: pathlib (2026)

2-Minute Python Guide: pathlib

Python's pathlib module provides a modern and efficient way to handle file system operations. Here are a few essential path operations you can perform using pathlib:

• Read and write text files:

from pathlib import Path

file_path = Path("example.txt")
file_path.write_text("Hello, World!")  # write to file
print(file_path.read_text())  # read from file

python

• Iterate over directory contents:

for item in Path(".").iterdir():
    print(item)

• Find files using glob patterns:

for file in Path(".").glob("*.txt"):
    print(file)

python

• Create a new directory:

Path("new_dir").mkdir()

For comparison, here are two examples using os.path:

• Join paths:

import os
os.path.join("path", "to", "file")  # vs Path("path") / "to" / "file"

python

• Get file extension:

os.path.splitext("example.txt")  # vs Path("example.txt").suffix

Takeaway: The pathlib module provides a more Pythonic and efficient way to handle file system operations compared to os.path. Its object-oriented approach and methods like read_text, write_text, iterdir, glob, and mkdir make it easier to work with files and directories in Python. Start using pathlib today to simplify your file system operations!

---

Follow me on Dev.to for daily Python tips and quick guides!