Can you hide files and folders on MacOS the same way as Linux?

Question

I'm trying to make a Python script that creates a hidden folder for a specific file I'm creating across any platform.

I'm aware you can do this easily with Linux by placing "." as the beginning of a file or folder name, but haven't found anything saying that you can do the same with MacOS. I don't have a MacOS system to test with, which leaves me at a roadblock.

Would I be able to just create a directory and/or file named ".file" like in Linux systems, or would I need to use the chflags method that I see everywhere I look?

Answer 1

Hidden filenames is a feature of the Unix shells and of the other standard Unix tools, not of any particular filesystem implementation (a "hidden" name is just a name starting with a dot).

macOS, since it is a Unix operating system, supports hidden filenames just like Linux or any other Unix.

Example on macOS:

$ touch file .hidden_file
$ ls
file
$ ls -a
.       ..      .hidden_file    file