What is a way to import a function from a node module without the need for a Module Bundler?

Question

What is a way to import a function from a node module without the need for a Module Bundler?

I've been searching for a solution to this issue without any luck. It seems that the browser doesn't understand commonJS syntax, which is why I get a ReferenceError if I try to load require() like this

let isEven = require('is-even') // ReferenceError: Can't find variable: require
console.log(isEven(6)); // this doesn't run

So, I attempted to switch to ES6 modules as follows:

import isEven from "is-even";
console.log(isEven(6));

However, I encountered the following error in the console:

TypeError: Module specifier, 'is-even' does not start with "/", "./", or "../".

My current workaround is to use a module bundler like Webpack, which allows me to effectively use both syntaxes without any issues. But, I prefer to explore other options because debugging can be challenging with a module bundler since it's hard to pinpoint the code causing errors. Is there an alternative method to transform older JavaScript modules before serving them to the browser, aside from using a module bundler?

javascript npm webpack es6-modules commonjs

Answer 1

Answer №1

When importing in a browser, it's important to note that you cannot import from a plain filename directly. You must specify a path starting with <code>"/"

, "./", or "../", or even a full URL because browsers do not have a default location to load plain filenames from. It is crucial to be explicit about the path you provide.

Additionally, when using import in a browser, a request is made to your server and your server must be configured to serve the requested file back to the browser.

Depending on your server configuration, you may need something like this:

import isEven from "/is-even.js";
console.log(isEven(6));

Or, if scripts are handled separately by your server:

import isEven from "/scripts/is-even.js";
console.log(isEven(6));

In either case, it is up to the web server to handle these requests, locate the script file in the server's filesystem, retrieve it, and send it back to the browser.

One of the main reasons client-side code utilizes bundlers is to improve efficiency. Loading multiple script modules individually requires separate http round-trip requests to the server for each, which is not optimal. While client-side caching can help, it's still inefficient to load numerous script modules separately on the initial page load of a website. This is why bundlers exist - to collect all necessary code for a specific operation into one common script file for more efficient loading in the client-side environment.

Therefore, importing a single function like isEven() in client-side code would typically not be efficient without bundling to streamline the process.

Answer 2

When importing in a browser, it's important to note that you cannot import from a plain filename directly. You must specify a path starting with <code>"/"

, "./", or "../", or even a full URL because browsers do not have a default location to load plain filenames from. It is crucial to be explicit about the path you provide.

Additionally, when using import in a browser, a request is made to your server and your server must be configured to serve the requested file back to the browser.

Depending on your server configuration, you may need something like this:

import isEven from "/is-even.js";
console.log(isEven(6));

Or, if scripts are handled separately by your server:

import isEven from "/scripts/is-even.js";
console.log(isEven(6));

In either case, it is up to the web server to handle these requests, locate the script file in the server's filesystem, retrieve it, and send it back to the browser.

One of the main reasons client-side code utilizes bundlers is to improve efficiency. Loading multiple script modules individually requires separate http round-trip requests to the server for each, which is not optimal. While client-side caching can help, it's still inefficient to load numerous script modules separately on the initial page load of a website. This is why bundlers exist - to collect all necessary code for a specific operation into one common script file for more efficient loading in the client-side environment.

Therefore, importing a single function like isEven() in client-side code would typically not be efficient without bundling to streamline the process.

Answer 3

Answer №2

give this a shot

export { isEven }; // exporting a function from the module:

this module imports a function called is-even.mjs

import { isEven } from './is-even.mjs';
console.log(is-even(6));

Answer 4

give this a shot

export { isEven }; // exporting a function from the module:

this module imports a function called is-even.mjs

import { isEven } from './is-even.mjs';
console.log(is-even(6));

What is a way to import a function from a node module without the need for a Module Bundler?

Answer №1

Answer №2

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