Export Module in Node.js

Here, you will learn how to expose different types as a module using module.exports.

The module.exports is a special object which is included in every JavaScript file in the Node.js application by default. The module is a variable that represents the current module, and exports is an object that will be exposed as a module. So, whatever you assign to module.exports will be exposed as a module.

Let's see how to expose different types as a module using module.exports.

Export Literals

As mentioned above, exports is an object. So it exposes whatever you assigned to it as a module. For example, if you assign a string literal then it will expose that string literal as a module.

The following example exposes simple string message as a module in Message.js.

module.exports = 'Hello world';

Now, import this message module and use it as shown below.

var msg = require('./Message.js');

console.log(msg);

Run the above example and see the result, as shown below.

Export Object

The exports is an object. So, you can attach properties or methods to it. The following example exposes an object with a string property in Message.js file.

exports.SimpleMessage = 'Hello world';

//or

module.exports.SimpleMessage = 'Hello world';

In the above example, we have attached a property SimpleMessage to the exports object. Now, import and use this module, as shown below.

var msg = require('./Messages.js');

console.log(msg.SimpleMessage);

In the above example, the require() function will return an object { SimpleMessage : 'Hello World'} and assign it to the msg variable. So, now you can use msg.SimpleMessage.

Run the above example by writing node app.js in the command prompt and see the output as shown below.

In the same way as above, you can expose an object with function. The following example exposes an object with the log function as a module.

module.exports.log = function (msg) { 
    console.log(msg);
};

The above module will expose an object- { log : function(msg){ console.log(msg); } } . Use the above module as shown below.

var msg = require('./Log.js');

msg.log('Hello World');

Run and see the output in command prompt as shown below.

You can also attach an object to module.exports, as shown below.

module.exports = {
    firstName: 'James',
    lastName: 'Bond'
}

var person = require('./data.js');
console.log(person.firstName + ' ' + person.lastName);

Run the above example and see the result, as shown below.

Export Function

You can attach an anonymous function to exports object as shown below.

module.exports = function (msg) { 
    console.log(msg);
};

Now, you can use the above module, as shown below.

var msg = require('./Log.js');

msg('Hello World');

The msg variable becomes a function expression in the above example. So, you can invoke the function using parenthesis (). Run the above example and see the output as shown below.

Export Function as a Class

In JavaScript, a function can be treated like a class. The following example exposes a function that can be used like a class.

module.exports = function (firstName, lastName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    this.lastName = lastName;
    this.fullName = function () { 
        return this.firstName + ' ' + this.lastName;
    }
}

The above module can be used, as shown below.

var person = require('./Person.js');

var person1 = new person('James', 'Bond');

console.log(person1.fullName());

As you can see, we have created a person object using the new keyword. Run the above example, as shown below.

In this way, you can export and import a local module created in a separate file under root folder.

Node.js also allows you to create modules in sub folders. Let's see how to load module from sub folders.

Load Module from the Separate Folder

Use the full path of a module file where you have exported it using module.exports. For example, if the log module in the log.js is stored under the utility folder under the root folder of your application, then import it, as shown below.

var log = require('./utility/log.js');

In the above example, . is for the root folder, and then specify the exact path of your module file. Node.js also allows us to specify the path to the folder without specifying the file name. For example, you can specify only the utility folder without specifying log.js, as shown below.

var log = require('./utility');

In the above example, Node.js will search for a package definition file called package.json inside the utility folder. This is because Node assumes that this folder is a package and will try to look for a package definition. The package.json file should be in a module directory. The package.json under utility folder specifies the file name using the main key, as shown below.

{
    "name" : "log",
    "main" : "./log.js"
}

Now, Node.js will find the log.js file using the main entry in package.json and import it.