JavaScript Modules

Modules

JavaScript modules allow you to break up your code into separate files. This makes it easier to maintain the code-base. JavaScript modules rely on the import and export statements.

Export

You can export a function or variable from any file. Let us create a file named person.js, and fill it with the things we want to export. There are two types of exports: Named and Default.

Named Exports

You can create named exports two ways. In-line individually, or all at once at the bottom.

In-line individually:

person.js
export const name = "Jesse";
export const age = 40;

All at once at the bottom:

person.js
const name = "Jesse";
const age = 40;

export {name, age};
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Default Exports

Let us create another file, named message.js, and use it for demonstrating default export. You can only have one default export in a file.

Example

message.js
const message = () => {
const name = "Jesse";
const age = 40;
return name + ' is ' + age + 'years old.';
};

export default message;
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Import

You can import modules into a file in two ways, based on if they are named exports or default exports. Named exports are constructed using curly braces. Default exports are not.

Import from named exports

Import named exports from the file person.js:

import { name, age } from "./person.js"

Import from default exports

Import a default export from the file message.js:

import message from "./message.js";

Note

Modules only work with the HTTP(s) protocol. A web-page opened via the file:// protocol cannot use import / export.