Using ts-node with ESM module: ipfs-http-client - commonjs

Question

I am trying to run some tests on files I created which use ipfs-http-client.
I write code with typescript and I am using ts-node to run files without actually doing the build (when i do tests). I am running this code in a commonJs folder. As ipfs packages is ESM only, it gives me an error each time i try to run this code
No "exports" main defined in ..... (points to the ipfs folder in node_modules)
To reproduce the issue I created a bare project which shows exactly what is happening.
I run npm init and npm i ipfs-http-client.
I have already installed ts-node.
the packages.json file looks like this
{
"name": "import_esm_in_commonjs",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "",
"main": "index.js",
"scripts": {
"test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
},
"keywords": [],
"author": "",
"license": "ISC",
"dependencies": {
"ipfs-http-client": "^59.0.0"
}
}
and, for tsConfig file, I am just using the basic ts-node one:
{
"ts-node": {
"cwd": "/Users/WAW/Documents/Projects/_issues_stack_over_flow/import_ESM_in_commonJS",
"projectSearchDir": "/Users/WAW/Documents/Projects/_issues_stack_over_flow/import_ESM_in_commonJS"
},
"compilerOptions": {
"lib": [
"es2021"
],
"module": "commonjs",
"target": "es2021",
"strict": true,
"esModuleInterop": true,
"skipLibCheck": true,
"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
"types": [
"node"
],
"sourceMap": true,
"inlineSourceMap": false,
"inlineSources": true,
"declaration": false,
"noEmit": false,
"outDir": "./.ts-node"
}
}
I just created an index.ts file in the root of the project which looks like this:
import "ipfs-http-client"
console.log("file works");
when I run ts-node index.ts I receive the previously mentioned error:
No "exports" main defined in ..... (pointing to the ipfs folder in the node_modules)
Hope someone can help!

Answer 1

Actually I found how to do it.
In order to be able to import esm only modules in a typescripy project with "type": "commonJs"in the package.json like this:
import { create } from "ipfs-http-client";
console.log(create);
I did the following:
explicitly set tsconfig file for ts-node:
{
"ts-node": {
"cwd": "/Users/WAW/Documents/Projects/_issues_stack_over_flow/import_ESM_in_commonJS",
"projectSearchDir": "/Users/WAW/Documents/Projects/_issues_stack_over_flow/import_ESM_in_commonJS"
},
"compilerOptions": {
"lib": [
"es2021"
],
"module": "commonjs",
"target": "es2021",
"strict": true,
"esModuleInterop": true,
"skipLibCheck": true,
"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
"types": [
"node"
],
"sourceMap": true,
"inlineSourceMap": false,
"inlineSources": true,
"declaration": false,
"noEmit": false,
"outDir": "./.ts-node"
}
}
set "module": "ES2022" and "modeResolution": "Node" in the tsconfig.json in the tsconfig.json
{
...
"compilerOptions": {
"module": "ES2022",
"moduleResolution": "Node",
...
}
when calling ts-node use the --esm flag:
ts-node --esm name_of_the_file
and it works =)
ps: I also updated the repo