# bun/prefer-url-for-sibling-files

> Prefer `new URL("./file", import.meta.url)` to a path joined onto the module's directory

Bundlers such as Vite and webpack recognize `new URL("./file", import.meta.url)`. They copy the file to the output and point the URL at the copy. A path that's joined onto `import.meta.dirname` or `__dirname` is only a string to them, so after bundling it points to a file that isn't there.

The rule reports `join()` and `resolve()` from `node:path`, `+` and template literals, if the first part is the module's directory and the rest is string literals. The directory can be `__dirname`, `import.meta.dirname`, `import.meta.dir`, `dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url))`, or a `const` that holds one of them.

{/* Generated by src/codegen/lint-rule-docs.ts. Do not edit this section. */}

## Configure

Off by default. To turn it on:

```toml bunfig.toml
[lint.rules]
"bun/prefer-url-for-sibling-files" = "error" # or "warn"
```

{/* End of the generated section. */}

## Examples

Reported:

{/* bad */}
```js
import { join } from "node:path";

const schema = await Bun.file(join(import.meta.dirname, "schema.sql")).text();
```

{/* bad {"count": 2} */}
```js
import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";

const logo = readFileSync(`${import.meta.dirname}/assets/logo.svg`);
const icon = readFileSync(import.meta.dirname + "/assets/icon.svg");
```

{/* bad */}
```js
import { dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";

const folder = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
export const template = resolve(folder, "templates", "email.html");
```

Not reported:

{/* good */}
```js
const schema = await Bun.file(new URL("./schema.sql", import.meta.url)).text();
```

A path with a part that's only known at run time, or one that ends in `.`, `..` or `/`, isn't reported:

{/* good */}
```js
import { join } from "node:path";

export const translations = language => join(import.meta.dirname, "locales", `${language}.json`);
export const root = join(import.meta.dirname, "..");
```

CommonJS files aren't checked, because they have no `import.meta.url`:

{/* good {"filename": "load.cjs"} */}
```js
const { join } = require("node:path");

module.exports = join(__dirname, "schema.sql");
```

## When not to use it

Leave it off if your code is never bundled, or if your bundler doesn't follow `new URL(.., import.meta.url)`.