Crates / remove_dir_all / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to remove_dir_all
Short answerThe closest alternatives to remove_dir_all on crates.io data are dunce (1.3M real downloads a day), camino (873K real downloads a day), notify (515K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is tempfile, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. remove_dir_all itself gets 122,193 a day with 84 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs remove_dir_all | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dunce Established | 1,298,706 | 10.63x | 766 | 2.2y | category Filesystem, keyword "windows" | compare |
| camino Widely used | 872,911 | 7.14x | 1,078 | 39d | category Filesystem, keyword "filesystem" | compare |
| notify Widely used | 515,449 | 4.22x | 3,197 | 7d | category Filesystem, keyword "filesystem" | compare |
| notify-types Pulled in | 404,449 | 3.31x | 8 | 9mo | category Filesystem, keyword "filesystem" | compare |
| bytesize Established | 267,970 | 2.19x | 503 | 3mo | category Filesystem, keyword "utility" | compare |
| tempfile Foundational | 2,442,469 | 19.99x | 38,054 | 7mo | keyword "filesystem" | compare |
| vcpkg Established | 1,467,123 | 12.01x | 135 | 5.3y | keyword "windows" | compare |
| anstyle-wincon Pulled in | 1,260,142 | 10.31x | 3 | 11mo | keyword "windows" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with remove_dir_all; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For remove_dir_all: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with remove_dir_all, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Established and quiet for years. 1,298,706 real downloads a day.dunceRust crate. Normalize Windows paths to the most compatible format, avoiding UNC where possible. Real use: 1.3M downloads a day on quiet days; 766 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time