How to Calculate Directory Sizes in Python: A Comparison of Methods

Calculating the Size of a Directory with Python

Before embarking on a custom implementation, it's worth exploring whether existing solutions can streamline the task of determining a directory's size.

Proposed Solution Using os.walk

The following Python routine adeptly walks through sub-directories and accumulates the sizes of each file:

<code class="python">import os

def get_size(start_path='.'):
    total_size = 0
    for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(start_path):
        for f in filenames:
            fp = os.path.join(dirpath, f)
            # Skip symbolic links
            if not os.path.islink(fp):
                total_size += os.path.getsize(fp)
    return total_size

print(get_size(), 'bytes')</code>

Alternative One-Liner Using os.listdir

For a quicker and simpler approach that excludes sub-directories, consider the following one-liner:

<code class="python">import os
sum(os.path.getsize(f) for f in os.listdir('.') if os.path.isfile(f))</code>

References and Further Optimizations

For more information, refer to the following resources:

• os.path.getsize: Acquires file sizes in bytes
• os.path.islink: Detects symbolic links
• os.path.stat().st_size: An alternative file size retrieval method
• The scandir package: Offers an efficient walk method
• The pathlib module: For a more concise and versatile solution

By opting for pre-existing code, you can expedite your development process while ensuring accuracy in calculating directory sizes.

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