I want to use import fs from 'fs' in JavaScript. Here is a sample:
import fs from 'fs'
var output = fs.readFileSync('someData.txt')
console.log(output)
The error I get when I run my file using node main.js is:
(function (exports, require, module, __filename, __dirname) { import fs from 'fs
'
^^^^^^
SyntaxError: Unexpected token import
What should I install in Node.js in order to achieve importing modules and functions from other places?
For default exports you should use:
import * as fs from 'fs';
Or in case the module has named exports:
import {fs} from 'fs';
Example:
//module1.js
export function function1() {
console.log('f1')
}
export function function2() {
console.log('f2')
}
export default function1;
And then:
import defaultExport, { function1, function2 } from './module1'
defaultExport(); // This calls function1
function1();
function2();
Additionally, you should use Webpack or something similar to be able to use ES6 import
ES6 modules support in Node.js is fairly recent; even in the bleeding-edge versions, it is still experimental. With Node.js 10, you can start Node.js with the --experimental-modules flag, and it will likely work.
To import on older Node.js versions - or standard Node.js 10 - use CommonJS syntax:
const fs = require('fs');
In order to use import { readFileSync } from 'fs', you have to:
--experimental-modules flag (in Node.js 10), e.g. node --experimental-modules server.mjs (see #3 for explanation of .mjs)import statements, to .mjs, .js will not work, e.g. server.mjsThe other answers hit on 1 and 2, but 3 is also necessary. Also, note that this feature is considered extremely experimental at this point (1/10 stability) and not recommended for production, but I will still probably use it.
Here's the Node.js 10 ESM documentation.