node.js - Webpack nodejs fs.readFile is not a function

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Learn more about Teams loaders: [ { test: /\.js$/, exclude: /node_modules/, loader: "babel-loader"}, { test: /\.json$/, loader: 'json-loader' }, node: { fs: "empty"

And I want to read a file using fs

I am doing something like:

var fs = require('fs')
console.log(fs)
fs.readFile('input.txt', function (err, buffer) {
        console.log("buffer")
        console.log(buffer)
I just want to read a file here but when I do this it gives me error saying: 
  fs.readFile is not a function
I have installed fs using npm install --save fs
Also when I print fs it gives me empty object.
Above I have done console.log(fs) it is giving me empty object
What is wrong in here?
                Remove node: { fs: "empty" } and add target: 'node': webpack.github.io/docs/configuration.html#target
– Bob  Sponge
                May 19, 2016 at 9:40
                You trying to run this code from browser? In browser, obviously, there is not any access to file system.
– Bob  Sponge
                May 19, 2016 at 9:54
Needs to be removed.
Moreover, all your code must run on the server.  You cannot read files like this in the browser. Node APIs are server-side only, so you would need to build an API using express or some similar library
    router.get('/file/read', (req, res, next) => { fs.readFile('input.txt', function (err, buffer) {
            console.log("buffer")
            res.send(buffer);
Then in your browser you would need to use AJAX to call the API and retrieve the file contents.
Reading arbitrary files has OBVIOUS SECURITY ISSUES . You should not allow the api to read any files the user likes.  You should be very careful here to restict input and limit the set of files available.
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