Reading directories in Node.js enables file system exploration, dynamic file processing, and directory structure analysis through the built-in filesystem module methods. As the creator of CoreUI, a widely used open-source UI library, I’ve implemented directory reading in countless Node.js applications for build tools, file processors, and content management systems. From my expertise, the most effective approach is using fs.readdir() with proper error handling and filtering options for specific file types. This method provides efficient directory traversal with comprehensive file information and flexible filtering capabilities.