babel-plugin-transform-require

1.1.0 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

A Babel plugin that transforms CommonJS require() calls into ES6 import statements. Version 1.1.0 is the latest stable release. It converts patterns like var a = require('a') to import a from 'a'. This plugin is useful for incremental migration of codebases from CommonJS to ES modules. It operates as a Babel plugin and requires babel-core (or @babel/core) to function. Unlike more comprehensive tools like @babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs, this plugin focuses solely on require-to-import conversion without handling exports. The package has a slow release cadence and is minimal in scope.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'babel-core' ↓

cause babel-core is not installed or is missing from node_modules.

fix

Run npm install --save-dev babel-core (or @babel/core) to install babel-core as a development dependency.

error TypeError: transformRequire is not a function ↓

cause The import is destructured incorrectly (e.g., { transformRequire }) but the package exports a default function.

fix

Use import transformRequire from 'babel-plugin-transform-require' without curly braces.

error ReferenceError: require is not defined ↓

cause Using require() in an ES module environment without proper bundler/transpiler setup.

fix

Use the plugin to transform the require calls, or ensure that Node.js is configured with --experimental-require-module flag if applicable.

error SyntaxError: Unexpected token import ↓

cause The transformed code contains import statements but the environment does not support ES modules.

fix

Use a bundler like Webpack or a Node.js version that supports ES modules with --experimental-modules flag.

Warnings

gotcha The plugin only transforms require() calls. It does not handle module.exports or exports, so those remain as-is. ↓

fix Use additional plugins like @babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs for a full CJS-to-ESM conversion.

gotcha The plugin does not support dynamic require() patterns (e.g., var x = require(someVar)). Such calls are left unchanged. ↓

fix Manually refactor dynamic requires or use a runtime helper for dynamic imports.

gotcha If the require() result is assigned to a variable that is reassigned later, the import statement will not be semantically equivalent. E.g., var a = require('a'); a = 5; becomes import a from 'a'; a = 5; which is invalid. ↓

fix Manually adjust code to use let or const and ensure no reassignment of imported bindings.

gotcha The plugin relies on babel-core (or @babel/core) but does not declare it as a peer dependency. Users must install it separately. ↓

fix Run npm install --save-dev babel-core (or @babel/core for Babel 7+).

deprecated The package is based on the deprecated babel-core API (Babel 6). It may not work with Babel 7+ without adjustments. ↓

fix Use a more modern plugin or migrate to @babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs.

Install

npm install babel-plugin-transform-require

yarn add babel-plugin-transform-require

pnpm add babel-plugin-transform-require

Imports

default (transformRequire)
wrong
```
const transformRequire = require('babel-plugin-transform-require')
```
correct
```
import transformRequire from 'babel-plugin-transform-require'
```
The package exports a default function. Using CommonJS require works in Node but may break in ESM-only environments.

Node require (CJS)

wrong

const { transformRequire } = require('babel-plugin-transform-require')

correct

const transformRequire = require('babel-plugin-transform-require')

There is no named export; using destructuring will result in undefined.

In .babelrc plugins array
wrong
```
{"plugins": ["babel-plugin-transform-require"]}
```
correct
```
{"plugins": ["transform-require"]}
```
Babel resolves plugins with the 'babel-plugin-' prefix automatically, but the full name also works.

Quickstart

Shows how to transform a require call to an import statement using the plugin programmatically with babel-core.

// Install: npm install --save-dev babel-core babel-plugin-transform-require
import {transform} from 'babel-core';
import transformRequire from 'babel-plugin-transform-require';

const codeES5 = 'var a = require("a")';
const codeES6 = transform(codeES5, {
  plugins: [transformRequire]
}).code;

console.log(codeES6); // import a from "a";