How to Import all Exports of a File as an Object in Node.js ?

In Node.js, you can import all exports of a file as an object using the ES Modules syntax (import) or the CommonJS syntax (require). This approach is useful when you have multiple exports from a module and want to access them conveniently through a single object interface.

Below are the approaches to Import all Exports of a File as an Object in Node.js

The import keyword is used in Javascript to use the elements that are exported from other modules. The syntax for importing all exports of a file as an object is as follows.

Syntax:

import * as objName from "abc-module"
...
let element1 = objName.value1

Note: Here, objName is any name you give while first initializing the object when you import everything from the module into it.

Installation Steps

Step 1: Make a folder structure for the project.

mkdir GFG-MODULES

Step 2: Navigate to the project directory

cd GFG-MODULES

Step 3: Initialize the NodeJs project inside the GFG-MODULES folder.

npm init -y

Project Structure :

Firstly in our package.json file, add the following property When you have the "type: module" property, then your source code can use the import syntax, otherwise, it will cause errors and will only support the "require"

Syntax:

"type" : "module"

The updated dependencies in package.json file will look like:

{
   "name": "gfg-modules",
   "version": "1.0.0",
   "description": "",
   "main": "index.js",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
        "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
   },
   "author": "GFG",
   "license": "ISC"
}

Using ES Modules (import)

Node.js has supported ES Modules (ESM) since version 12. You can use the import * as aliasName from 'module' syntax to import all exports from a module as an object. Here’s an example:

Example: Implementation to show the import of all exports of a file as an object in Node.js using Es Modules.

// siteData.js

export const siteName = "GeeksForGeeks";
export const url = "https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/";
export const founderName = "Sandeep Jain";
export const aboutSite = "A Computer Science portal for geeks";
export let siteContent =
    "Computer science and Programming articles along with Courses";

// index.js

import * as site from "./modules/siteData.js";

console.log(site);

console.log("Site Data is as follows:");
console.log(`Site name: \t${site.siteName}`);
console.log(`Site url : \t${site.url}`);
console.log(`Founder name: \t${site.founderName}`);
console.log(`About site: \t${site.aboutSite}`);
console.log(`Site Content: \t${site.siteContent}`);

Output: Here in this file, we have exported multiple elements from our module "siteName". Here, we have imported all the exports from the module "siteData.js" into an object called "site", and later used them.

Using CommonJS (require)

If you're working with older versions of Node.js that do not support ES Modules or if you prefer to use CommonJS syntax, you can achieve the same result with require.

Example: Implementation to show the import of all exports of a file as an object in Node.js using require method.

// siteData.js

// myModule.js
exports.add = function(a, b) {
  return a + b;
};

exports.subtract = function(a, b) {
  return a - b;
};

exports.pi = 3.14159;

// index.js

const myModule = require('./siteData.js');

console.log(myModule.add(5, 3)); // Output: 8
console.log(myModule.subtract(10, 4)); // Output: 6
console.log(myModule.pi); // Output: 3.14159

Output: In this CommonJS example, require('./myModule.js') imports all exports from myModule.js into the myModule object. You can access each export similarly using dot notation (myModule.add, myModule.subtract, myModule.pi).

Key Differences

• ES Modules: Preferred for modern JavaScript projects and new Node.js applications. Provides a more structured and standardized way to handle modules, including support for asynchronous loading (import()).
• CommonJS: Legacy syntax supported in Node.js for many years. Still widely used in existing Node.js projects and offers simplicity in module management.

Considerations

• Module Size: Importing all exports as an object can be convenient but may increase memory usage if the module has many exports.
• Naming: Choose an appropriate name (myModule in the examples) that reflects the content and purpose of the module.
• Compatibility: Ensure compatibility with your Node.js version and project requirements when choosing between ES Modules and CommonJS.

Conclusion

Importing all exports of a file as an object in Node.js allows you to organize and access multiple exports conveniently through a single namespace. Whether you choose ES Modules or CommonJS syntax depends on your project’s requirements and Node.js version compatibility. Both approaches provide flexibility and are widely used in Node.js development.