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Using TypeScript Node.js with native ESM

This reference guide shows how to configure a TypeScript Node.js project to work and compile to to native ESM.

Rationale

CommonJS module system was introduced by the Node.js developers due to the lack of the notion of "modules" in the original JavaScript (ECMAScript) language specification at that time. However, nowadays, ECMAScript has a standard module system called ESM — ECMAScript Modules, which is a part of the accepted standard. This way CommonJS could be considered vendor-specific and obsolete/legacy. Hopefully, TypeScript ecosystem now supports the "new" standard.

So the key benefits are:

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Code is clean if it can be understood easily – by everyone on the team. Clean code can be read and enhanced by a developer other than its original author. With understandability comes readability, changeability, extensibility and maintainability.

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General rules

1. Follow standard conventions.
2. Keep it simple stupid. Simpler is always better. Reduce complexity as much as possible.
3. Boy scout rule. Leave the campground cleaner than you found it.
4. Always find root cause. Always look for the root cause of a problem.

Design rules