How to Safely Delete Directories in PHP with rmdir()

Overview

In PHP the rmdir() function removes a directory. It only works on empty directories; attempting to delete a non‑empty directory will fail.

Function Signature

bool rmdir ( string $path [, resource $context ] )

Parameters

$path : The path of the directory to delete. Can be absolute or relative.

$context (optional): Stream context resource.

Return Value

Returns true on successful deletion, false otherwise.

Important Considerations

The directory must be empty. If it contains files or sub‑directories, you must first remove those items (e.g., by recursively deleting files) before calling rmdir().

Example Code

$dir = 'path/to/directory';

// Check if the directory exists
if (is_dir($dir)) {
    // Attempt to delete the directory
    if (rmdir($dir)) {
        echo "Directory deleted successfully.";
    } else {
        echo "Failed to delete directory.";
    }
} else {
    echo "Directory does not exist.";
}

Summary

The rmdir() function is a convenient way to delete empty directories in PHP. For non‑empty directories, clear their contents first, then call rmdir() to remove the directory itself.