Garbage File Generator

This script generates fake media files with random filenames, valid-looking headers, and random sizes. It’s useful for stress-testing, dummy data creation, or filling directories with realistic-looking media without using real files.

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• No external libraries required (only standard library).

Setup

1. Save the script as garbage_generator.py.
2. Open a terminal in the folder containing the script.

Usage

Run the script like this:

python garbage_generator.py [options]

Options

• -o, --output <dir> – Output directory (default: fake_media)
• -n, --num-files <int> – Number of files to generate (default: 200) - I am using a folder of 1000 (about 5GB)
• --min-len <int> – Minimum filename length (default: 6)
• --max-len <int> – Maximum filename length (default: 20)

Examples

Generate 1000 files in the default fake_media directory:

python garbage_generator.py -n 1000

Generate 50 files with filenames between 10–30 characters, saved to dummy_output:

python garbage_generator.py -n 50 -o dummy_output --min-len 10 --max-len 30

Notes

• File extensions are chosen with realistic weights (jpg, png, mp4, etc.).
• Files contain random bytes but include minimal valid headers to look like real media.
• Sizes range from a few KB up to tens of MB, biased toward medium-sized files.
• Output directory is created automatically if it doesn’t exist.