Can you explain the distinction between importing a JavaScript module using these two methods?

Question

Can you explain the distinction between importing a JavaScript module using these two methods?

As a beginner in javascript development and leveraging npm, I recently wanted to create uuids. In my search, I came across a uuid package that caught my interest:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/uuid

To utilize this package, I installed it by executing the command npm install uuid

Now, I am eager to incorporate this package into my code.

In exploring different ways to achieve this, I discovered 2 methods. According to the npm documentation:

// Generate a v4 UUID (random) 
const uuidV4 = require('uuid/v4');
uuidV4(); // -> '110ec58a-a0f2-4ac4-8393-c866d813b8d1'

However, I also experimented with an alternative approach which seemed effective:

import uuid from 'uuid';
console.info(uuid.v4());

I have a couple of questions regarding this process:

What are the distinctions between these two methods?
How can one determine what a module exports, enabling them to understand what they can import and under what path? For instance, it appears that import v4 from 'uuid' could also be used... but grasping the mechanics behind this remains unclear to me.

javascript npm

Answer 1

Answer №1

Incorporating a module into your project can be done using either the older es5 method with "require" or the newer es6 method with "import."

If you want to utilize es6 features but still need compatibility with older browsers, a transpiler like Babel can convert your code to es5 format.

When using import, you have the ability to select specific parts of a module. For example:

// test.js
export default () => { console.log("Hi, I'm a default export"); }

export NotDefault = () => { console.log("I am not the default export"); }

If you were to write:

import NotDefault from "test.js";

You would actually be importing the default export, not NotDefault. To import NotDefault, use this syntax instead:

import { NotDefault } from "test.js";

ES5 Syntax

module.exports = function() {
    // This function is now the default export.
}

exports.MyFunc = function() {
    // Another function exported from this file.
}

ES6 Syntax

default export function() {
    // This is the default export for the file.
}

export const MyFunc = function() {
    // Exported function for importing in other files.
}

I hope this information is helpful!

Answer 2

Incorporating a module into your project can be done using either the older es5 method with "require" or the newer es6 method with "import."

If you want to utilize es6 features but still need compatibility with older browsers, a transpiler like Babel can convert your code to es5 format.

When using import, you have the ability to select specific parts of a module. For example:

// test.js
export default () => { console.log("Hi, I'm a default export"); }

export NotDefault = () => { console.log("I am not the default export"); }

If you were to write:

import NotDefault from "test.js";

You would actually be importing the default export, not NotDefault. To import NotDefault, use this syntax instead:

import { NotDefault } from "test.js";

ES5 Syntax

module.exports = function() {
    // This function is now the default export.
}

exports.MyFunc = function() {
    // Another function exported from this file.
}

ES6 Syntax

default export function() {
    // This is the default export for the file.
}

export const MyFunc = function() {
    // Exported function for importing in other files.
}

I hope this information is helpful!

Can you explain the distinction between importing a JavaScript module using these two methods?

Answer №1

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