Different Ways to Import Files in a Node.js Project

Introduction

In my last interview, the interviewer asked me about "Different Ways to Import Files in a Node.js Project"

There are many ways to import files, and I was familiar with all of them, but I could only recall three ways at that moment.

So, In this blog we'll know some ways to import the files in a Node.js Project.

Using require()

• This is the most common way to import files in Node.js.
• We use require() followed by the path to the file we want to import.
• Example:

const myModule = require('./myModule');

Using import (ES6)

• With newer versions of Node.js and when using ECMAScript Modules (ESM), we can use the import keyword.
• Example:

import myModule from './myModule';

Using module.exports and require

• When we want to export multiple things from a file in Node.js, we can use module.exports to export an object containing those things.
• Then, we use require() to import that object and access its properties.
• Example:

// In myModule.js
module.exports = {
  myFunction: function() {
    // Function code here
  },
  myVariable: 'Hello'
};

// In another file
const myModule = require('./myModule');
myModule.myFunction();
console.log(myModule.myVariable);

Using export and import (ES6)

• Similar to module.exports and require(), we can use export to export multiple things from a file and import to import them.
• Example:

// In myModule.js
export const myFunction = function() {
  // Function code here
};

export const myVariable = 'Hello';

// In another file
import { myFunction, myVariable } from './myModule';
myFunction();
console.log(myVariable);

These are the main ways to import files in a Node.js project. Each method has its use cases, so it's essential to understand them to choose the right one for your project.

Conclusion

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Thanks for reading🌻