On Windows, ZipArchive keeps a hidden file lock even after close(). So your ZIP + source files get deleted, but the folder stays stuck with ghost entries. rmdir() fails even though the directory looks empty.

	if ($uploadFileSpaces == 1) {

			$zip = null;
			gc_collect_cycles();
			usleep(200000); // 0.2 sec — Windows needs it
			clearstatcache(true);

			//Then delete files + remove directory.
}

This kills the file lock, removes ghost files, and lets rmdir() actually work.

On Windows, ZipArchive keeps a hidden file lock even after close(). So your ZIP + source files get deleted, but the folder stays stuck with ghost entries. rmdir() fails even though the directory looks empty.

	if ($uploadFileSpaces == 1) {

			$zip = null;
			gc_collect_cycles();
			usleep(200000); // 0.2 sec — Windows needs it
			clearstatcache(true);

			//Then delete files + remove directory.
}

This kills the file lock, removes ghost files, and lets rmdir() actually work.

Hey Laracasts community!

I'm running into a frustrating issue in my Laravel app where, after uploading multiple documents, creating a ZIP file, and uploading it to cloud storage (DigitalOcean Spaces), the cleanup process isn't fully working. Specifically:

The individual files get deleted. The ZIP file gets deleted. But the empty directory persists, even though scandir() claims files still exist (yet I can't see them in the file system). This leaves behind empty folders cluttering the server. I'm wondering if ZipArchive is somehow causing this (e.g., file locks or lingering references), but I suspect it's a logic error in my cleanup code. The code works for the most part, but the directory check fails.

Here's the relevant snippet from my familyHeadSave method (inside a loop for handling document uploads like Aadhaar, PAN, etc.). This is where the zipping and cleanup happens:

			$count = 0;

$documentTypes = [
    'aadhaar_document_name' => [
        'document_name_id' => 1,
        'document_number' => $familyHead->aadhaar_number,
    ],
    'pan_document_name' => [
        'document_name_id' => 2,
        'document_number' => $familyHead->pan_number,
    ],
    'gst_document_name' => [
        'document_name_id' => 10,
        'document_number' => $familyHead->gst_number,
    ]
];

foreach ($documentTypes as $inputName => $docInfo) {
    if (!empty($request->$inputName) && isset($request->$inputName[0])) {
        $fileName = time() . mt_rand(100, 999) . '.zip';

        // ... (code for saving ClientDocument record, unit checks, etc.) ...

        $policyDocumentNames = [];
        $extensionWithOutName = pathinfo($fileName, PATHINFO_FILENAME);
        $destinationFilePath = public_path("/s/" . getAgentPath($authUser->agent_code) . "/client/client_documents/" . $extensionWithOutName . "/");
        $zipPaths = "s/" . getAgentPath($authUser->agent_code) . "/client/client_documents/" . $extensionWithOutName . "/";

        // Upload individual files to spaces and collect names
        foreach ($request->$inputName as $file) {
            $policyDocument = time() . mt_rand(100, 999) . '.' . $file->getClientOriginalExtension();
            if (!is_dir($destinationFilePath)) {
                mkdir($destinationFilePath, 0777, true);
            }
            if ($file->move($destinationFilePath, $policyDocument)) {
                $policyDocumentNames[] = $policyDocument;
            }
            if (File::exists($destinationFilePath . '/' . $policyDocument)) {
                $uploadFileSpaces = uploadFileOnSpaces(public_path($zipPaths . $policyDocument), $zipPaths . $policyDocument);
            }
        }

        // Create ZIP
        $zip = new ZipArchive;
        if ($zip->open($destinationFilePath . $fileName, ZipArchive::CREATE) === TRUE) {
            foreach ($policyDocumentNames as $document) {
                $filePath = $destinationFilePath . $document;
                if (File::exists($filePath)) {
                    $zip->addFile($filePath, basename($filePath));
                }
            }
            $zip->close();
        }

        // Upload ZIP to spaces
        if (File::exists($destinationFilePath . '/' . $fileName)) {
            $uploadFileSpaces = uploadFileOnSpaces(public_path($zipPaths . $fileName), $zipPaths . $fileName);
        }

        // Cleanup (this is where the issue is - directory not deleting)
        if ($uploadFileSpaces == 1) {
            foreach ($policyDocumentNames as $docName) {
                @unlink($destinationFilePath . $docName);
            }
            
            if (is_dir($destinationFilePath) && count(scandir($destinationFilePath)) == 2) {
                rmdir($destinationFilePath);
            }
            
            @unlink($destinationFilePath . $fileName);
        }

        // ... (rest of the loop: store units, save UploadedDocuments, etc.) ...
    }
}

please help!!! thank you !