Eventually, the Node ecosystem has to move to ESM

[thetutlage]

Node.js has supported ES modules as a first-class citizen for a while now. As a result, you can use them without any transpiler or bundler.

However, moving from CommonJS (require('some-package')) to ESM import 'some-package' is a breaking change at many levels. I will not go in-depth about those breaking changes right now but leave some pointers that you help you make your decision for the vote.

All relative imports needs a .js extension.

// ❌ Does not work
import User from './user'

// ✅ Works
import User from './user.js'

Directory imports with index.js no longer work

// ❌ Does not work
import * as components from './components'

// ✅ Works
import * as components from './components/index.js'

Globals like __filename, __dirname, and require are not available

As the title says, you cannot use __filename, __dirname globals inside your code, and neither use methods like resolve from the require object.

JSON imports needs assertion types

You cannot import a JSON file similar to a JavaScript file (earlier, it was possible). Instead, you need to use the following syntax.

import pkg from './package.json' assert { type: 'json' };

Can we live without migrating to ESM?

Well, not in the longer run. A lot of packages are already moving to ESM only. For example, a prolific Node.js developer Sindresorhus has decided to move all his packages to ESM, and therefore, the core of AdonisJS + your application will not be able to use his packages (and any other ESM only package).

Therefore, the change is inevitable, and sooner or later, we will have to migrate.

Can migration be automated?

To a certain level, yes. I am playing with codemods, which can rewrite some of the imports automatically for you. However, not everything can be automated and will require manual effort (at least for verification)

[ndianabasi]

Everything is in a state of flux. Only those who are adaptable can survive. We love AdonisJS. 💖💖

[brunoalfred]

I think it's a good idea to move with the trend instead of being left behind. AdonisJS ❤️

[zakariamehbi]

Why not, the sooner the better.

[jacobq]

This is an easy 👍 vote for me because I am not doing the work 🤣. I believe you are quite right in that this is the direction active node packages should move as it is newer, broader (works in browsers!), and actually part of the ECMAScript standard. That said, there is a trade-off: do it earlier and enjoy the benefits vs. wait longer and enjoy a smoother transition thanks to the work of others who have gone before (and maybe written a few codemods, blog posts, etc.).

FWIW, you can mimic the functionality of __dirname and __filename like this:

import path from 'path';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';

const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);

You can even get require back if you need it via createRequire.

[muco-rolle]

My vote would have been No but It seems like it's inevitable.

[Twitch0125]

Would it be possible to make Adonis compatible with Deno at the same time? I've seen other node projects (like Nuxt 3) become "runtime agnostic" to where they can run in Deno, Node, or the Browser and I think that's another part of the Future Proofing question

[redeemefy]

What is the NodeJS recommendation about __dirname and __filename? How NodeJS itself is using/solving for globals?

If Adonis move forward with the language, that in my opinion it should, it should explain/recommend the path forward on how to implement those breaking changes.

// before
path.join(__dirname, ...)

// after
...

[thetutlage]

Yeah, there will be documentation around migration. This post was to understand if most of the community is in favor of moving to ESM, knowing that fact there will be breaking changes

[dipanjanpanja6]

if adonis 5 had a sable version then there is no problem.

[thetutlage]

AdonisJS is stable for over a year now :)

[SH8GH]

if i can suggest, i think the @ioc concept new syntax.

example:

import View from '@ioc:Adonis/Core/View' => const View = import.meta.container('@ioc:Adonis/Core/View')