As developers, we constantly juggle multiple projects, SDKs, Docker containers, and build artifacts that consume disk space. While Windows Explorer shows basic storage information, professional tools offer crucial features like:

• Visual file tree mapping
• Historical usage tracking
• Duplicate file detection
• Integration with CI/CD pipelines

The enterprise version offers powerful features for development teams:

// Sample PowerShell automation with TreeSize
$report = & "C:\Program Files\TreeSize\TreeSize.exe" /s /export=c:\reports\disk_usage.csv C:\Projects
if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
    Send-MailMessage -Attachments "c:\reports\disk_usage.csv" -To devops@company.com
}

Key advantages:

• Jenkins plugin for build artifact analysis
• SQL Server integration
• API for custom reporting

The classic treemap visualization helps quickly identify space hogs:

REM Batch cleanup example after analysis
@echo off
for /d %%x in (C:\Projects\*node_modules*) do rd /s /q "%%x"
del /s /q C:\Users\*\AppData\Local\Temp\*.tmp

Best for:

• Quick visual assessment
• Portable version available
• Active open-source community

WizTree (Performance Champion):

• Scans 1TB drives in seconds using MFT reading
• Excellent for SSD optimization analysis

SpaceSniffer (Configurable Visualization):

• Customizable block patterns for file types
• Real-time monitoring mode

Consider these patterns for CI/CD environments:

# Python script example using WizTree CLI
import subprocess
import json

def check_build_artifacts():
    result = subprocess.run(
        ['wiztree.exe', '/export=json', 'D:\\builds'],
        capture_output=True, text=True)
    
    data = json.loads(result.stdout)
    if data['total_size_gb'] > 100:
        trigger_cleanup_workflow()

For unique needs, combine PowerShell with native tools:

# Get directory sizes recursively
function Get-DirectorySize {
    param([string]$path)
    (Get-ChildItem $path -Recurse | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum / 1GB
}

$projectSizes = @{
    "WebApp" = Get-DirectorySize "C:\Projects\WebApp"
    "Microservices" = Get-DirectorySize "C:\Projects\Microservices"
}

Remember to regularly analyze:

• Docker image storage
• NuGet/npm cache locations
• Test coverage data
• CI pipeline workspaces

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As developers, we constantly deal with bloated dependencies, build artifacts, and log files. Having a reliable disk space analyzer is crucial for:

• Identifying large node_modules folders
• Cleaning up Docker container layers
• Managing IDE cache directories
• Optimizing CI/CD pipeline storage

Here's a technical deep dive into the best tools available:

1. WizTree (The Speed Demon)

Uses MFT scanning for instant results:

// Example: Export scan results to CSV via command line
wiztree.exe /export=C:\scan_results.csv /folder=C:\projects

2. TreeSize Professional (Enterprise Ready)

Features that matter for dev teams:

• Jenkins integration for build artifact analysis
• SQL database for historical tracking
• Command line automation:

TreeSize.exe /scan /s /f=json C:\ > usage_report.json

3. WinDirStat (The Classic)

Still great for visualizing space hogs:

# PowerShell wrapper for automated cleanup
Get-ChildItem | Where {$_.Extension -eq ".tmp"} | Remove-Item

4. SpaceSniffer (Portable Alternative)

Perfect for USB drives with dev tools:

spacesniffer.exe /net /m:20 C:\

Integrating with CI Pipelines

Example Azure DevOps task:

- task: CmdLine@2
  inputs:
    script: |
      wiztree /export=$(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)\diskusage.csv
      python analyze_usage.py --threshold=500MB

Monitoring Docker Disk Usage

Combine with docker commands:

docker system df -v | grep "GB" | sort -nr

For those who prefer scripting:

# PowerShell disk analyzer
$topFolders = Get-ChildItem -Directory | 
    Select-Object FullName,
        @{Name="SizeGB";Expression={
            [math]::Round((Get-ChildItem $_.FullName -Recurse | 
            Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum /1GB,2)
        }} | 
    Sort-Object SizeGB -Descending | 
    Select-Object -First 10