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Moving to ESM from CJS with Anthony Fu
Mar 20, 2025
Anthony Fu, Framework Developer at Nuxt Labs, dives into the pivotal shift from CommonJS to ECMAScript Modules (ESM) in JavaScript. He unpacks the controversies and advantages of ESM, emphasizing its role in modern web development. Listeners will discover why this transition is timely and crucial, along with best practices for navigating module formats. Fu also discusses tools that enhance package structure visualization and security, positioning ESM as essential for future-focused developers.
25:10
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Quick takeaways
- The transition to ESM from CJS fosters modern development practices, enhancing efficiency through features like static analysis and tree shaking.
- Despite compatibility challenges posed by legacy systems, improved Node.js support and emerging tools facilitate smoother ESM migration for developers.
Deep dives
Understanding ESM and Its Importance
ESM, or ECMAScript Module, represents a standardized module format in JavaScript, which was previously hindered by the CommonJS (CJS) format. ESM was created to enable modular programming in JavaScript, reflecting the evolution of the language since its inception over a decade ago. The move towards adopting ESM is seen as crucial, as it facilitates modern development practices such as static analysis and tree shaking, ultimately leading to more efficient applications. Developers are encouraged to shift from CJS to ESM to align with contemporary JavaScript standards and take full advantage of modern tools.
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