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JavaScript

CommonJS vs. ES Modules (ESM)​

The main differences between CommonJS and ES Modules are:

  • Import
    • CommonJS: const fs = require("fs");
    • ES Modules: import fs from "fs";
  • Export
    • CommonJS: module.exports = { fs };
    • ES Modules: export { fs };

All modern browsers, and Node.js 12+ now support ES Modules. CommonJS and extension .cjs should be avoided in favor of ES Modules and extension .mjs whenever possible.