{"id":23034,"date":"2024-04-03T12:36:24","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T11:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-cual-es-la-mejor-opcion-en-javascript\/"},"modified":"2024-06-03T18:44:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T17:44:05","slug":"commonjs-vs-es-modules-cual-es-la-mejor-opcion-en-javascript","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/","title":{"rendered":"CommonJS vs ES Modules: Which is the best option in Javascript?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you are a Javascript developer, you are surely familiar with modules, one of the most important and useful features of the language. However, there is some confusion about the different types of modules that can be used. In this article, we are going to compare two of the most common types: CommonJS and ES Modules, and discuss which is the best option in different scenarios.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#CommonJS\" >CommonJS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#ES_Modules\" >ES Modules<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#%C2%BFCual_es_la_mejor_opcion\" >Which is the best option?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#Preguntas_frecuentes\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#%C2%BFPuedo_utilizar_modulos_CommonJS_en_el_navegador\" >Can I use CommonJS modules in the browser?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#%C2%BFQue_herramientas_de_construccion_puedo_utilizar_con_modulos_ES\" >What build tools can I use with ES modules?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#%C2%BFCuando_deberia_utilizar_CommonJS_en_lugar_de_ES_Modules\" >When should I use CommonJS instead of ES Modules?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/blog\/commonjs-vs-es-modules-which-is-the-best-option-in-javascript\/#%C2%BFCuando_deberia_utilizar_ES_Modules_en_lugar_de_CommonJS\" >When should I use ES Modules instead of CommonJS?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CommonJS\"><\/span>CommonJS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>CommonJS is a module format that was originally created for use in server environments, such as Node.js. It is based on the use of the function <code>require()<\/code> to import modules and keyword <code>exports<\/code> to expose objects and functions that can be used by other modules.<\/p>\n<p>One of the main advantages of CommonJS is its simplicity and ease of use. It is very easy to understand and use, and can be used intuitively by even the least experienced developers. Additionally, the Node.js developer community has generated a large number of modules that use the CommonJS format, making a broad ecosystem of libraries available.<\/p>\n<p>However, one of the disadvantages of CommonJS is that it is not directly supported by web browsers. This means that if you want to use CommonJS modules on the client side, you&#039;ll need a build tool or compiler to convert your code into a format that browsers can understand.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ES_Modules\"><\/span>ES Modules<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>ES Modules, short for ECMAScript Modules, is the native module format introduced in the ES6 Javascript standard. Like CommonJS, it allows importing and exporting modules, but uses a different syntax: <code>import<\/code> y <code>export<\/code>.<\/p>\n<p>ES Modules has several advantages over CommonJS. The first is that it is supported directly by modern web browsers, so no additional build tool is needed to use modules in browsers. Additionally, ES Modules are standard Javascript, meaning there is no dependency on additional libraries or tools.<\/p>\n<p>One of the disadvantages of ES Modules is that its syntax is more complex than CommonJS, which can make it difficult to adopt for less experienced developers. Furthermore, although more and more browsers support it, not all do so yet, so there may be compatibility problems in some environments.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%C2%BFCual_es_la_mejor_opcion\"><\/span>Which is the best option?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we have seen the features and advantages of CommonJS and ES Modules, the question is: which is the best option? The answer depends on the scenario you find yourself in.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#039;re developing for the Node.js environment or need to use libraries and modules from the Node.js community, CommonJS is still a solid choice. Its simplicity and wide availability of modules make it a popular choice for many Node.js developers.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, if you are building a web application and want to use modules directly in the browser, ES Modules is the best option. Its native integration into modern browsers and language standardization make it a solid long-term choice. Additionally, modern build and compile tools like Webpack and Babel can help you troubleshoot any compatibility or limitation issues.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, both CommonJS and ES Modules are valid options, and the choice depends on the context and your specific needs. Over time, ES Modules are likely to become the dominant choice due to their standardization and native compatibility with web browsers. <\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Preguntas_frecuentes\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%C2%BFPuedo_utilizar_modulos_CommonJS_en_el_navegador\"><\/span>Can I use CommonJS modules in the browser?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, you can use CommonJS modules in the browser using build and compile tools such as Webpack and Babel.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%C2%BFQue_herramientas_de_construccion_puedo_utilizar_con_modulos_ES\"><\/span>What build tools can I use with ES modules?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To use ES modules in production environments, you can use tools such as Webpack, Rollup, and Parcel.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%C2%BFCuando_deberia_utilizar_CommonJS_en_lugar_de_ES_Modules\"><\/span>When should I use CommonJS instead of ES Modules?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You should use CommonJS if you are developing for Node.js or need to use libraries and modules from the Node.js community.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%C2%BFCuando_deberia_utilizar_ES_Modules_en_lugar_de_CommonJS\"><\/span>When should I use ES Modules instead of CommonJS?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You should use ES Modules if you are building a web application and want to use modules directly in the browser.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this article helped you understand the differences between CommonJS and ES Modules and which is the best option in different scenarios. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me through my blog <a href=\"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/contact\/\">NelkoDev<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Si eres desarrollador en Javascript, seguramente est\u00e1s familiarizado con los m\u00f3dulos, una de las caracter\u00edsticas m\u00e1s importantes y \u00fatiles del lenguaje. Sin embargo, existe cierta confusi\u00f3n sobre los diferentes tipos de m\u00f3dulos que se pueden utilizar. En este art\u00edculo, vamos a comparar dos de los tipos m\u00e1s comunes: CommonJS y ES Modules, y vamos a [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[420,1126,2207],"tags":[243,637,205,898,185,214,899,2208,900],"class_list":["post-23034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-automatizadores","category-nodejs","tag-cual","tag-automatizadores","tag-blog","tag-commonjs","tag-javascript","tag-mejor","tag-modules","tag-nodejs","tag-opcion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelkodev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}