CommonJS module system

E131737

JavaScript module system module format

The CommonJS module system is a JavaScript module format that uses `require` and `module.exports` to structure and share code, most notably used in Node.js.

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All labels observed (8)

Label	Occurrences
CommonJS	4
CommonJS modules	4
CommonJS specification	2
CommonJS environments	1
CommonJS module format	1
CommonJS module system canonical	1
CommonJS project	1
CommonJS working group	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1160075 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: CommonJS module system
Context triple: [Node.js, implements, CommonJS module system]

A. Node.js
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript code on the server side.
B. npm
npm is the default package manager and registry for Node.js, widely used to share, install, and manage JavaScript libraries and tools.
C. ECMAScript
ECMAScript is the official scripting language specification that defines the core features and behavior implemented by JavaScript and related languages.
D. Common Type System
The Common Type System is a core component of the .NET architecture that defines how data types are declared, used, and managed across different .NET languages to ensure interoperability and type safety.
E. CAS (Computer Algebra System)
CAS (Computer Algebra System) is software that performs symbolic mathematical computations—such as algebraic manipulation, equation solving, and calculus operations—exactly rather than numerically.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: CommonJS module system
Target entity description: The CommonJS module system is a JavaScript module format that uses `require` and `module.exports` to structure and share code, most notably used in Node.js.

A. Node.js
Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment that allows developers to execute JavaScript code on the server side.
B. npm
npm is the default package manager and registry for Node.js, widely used to share, install, and manage JavaScript libraries and tools.
C. ECMAScript
ECMAScript is the official scripting language specification that defines the core features and behavior implemented by JavaScript and related languages.
D. Common Type System
The Common Type System is a core component of the .NET architecture that defines how data types are declared, used, and managed across different .NET languages to ensure interoperability and type safety.
E. CAS (Computer Algebra System)
CAS (Computer Algebra System) is software that performs symbolic mathematical computations—such as algebraic manipulation, equation solving, and calculus operations—exactly rather than numerically.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	JavaScript module system ⓘ module format ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	CJS ⓘ CommonJS modules ⓘ linked to: CommonJS module system
cachingBehavior	required modules are cached after first load ⓘ
compatibility	requires bundlers or transpilers to interoperate with ECMAScript modules in browsers ⓘ
contrastsWith	AMD module system ⓘ ECMAScript modules ⓘ linked to: ECMAScript
defaultExportPattern	module.exports assigned to a single value ⓘ
designedFor	server-side JavaScript ⓘ
designGoal	simple server-side module semantics ⓘ
dominantPeriod	pre-ES6 era of JavaScript ⓘ
executionModel	modules executed at require time ⓘ
exportMechanism	assigning properties to exports object ⓘ assigning values to module.exports ⓘ
granularExportPattern	exports object used for multiple named exports ⓘ
hasKeywordLike	exports ⓘ module ⓘ require ⓘ
importMechanism	calling require with a module identifier ⓘ
influenced	JavaScript tooling design ⓘ Node.js ecosystem ⓘ linked to: Node.js
influencedBy	server-side module patterns in other languages ⓘ
interoperatesWith	ECMAScript modules via Node.js compatibility rules ⓘ
limitation	not natively supported in web browsers without bundling ⓘ synchronous loading unsuitable for network-based module fetching ⓘ
loadingStyle	synchronous ⓘ
moduleBoundary	each file is treated as a separate module ⓘ
moduleIdentifierType	string path or package name ⓘ
moduleScope	file-based ⓘ
notableImplementation	Node.js ⓘ
originatedIn	CommonJS project ⓘ linked to: CommonJS module system
primaryUse	sharing code between JavaScript files ⓘ structuring JavaScript code into modules ⓘ
standardizationEffort	CommonJS specification ⓘ linked to: CommonJS module system
stillWidelyUsedIn	Node.js LTS releases ⓘ linked to: Node.js existing Node.js libraries ⓘ
supports	synchronous module loading ⓘ
supportsFeature	circular dependencies with runtime resolution ⓘ conditional requires ⓘ dynamic requires using computed strings ⓘ
typicalFileExtension	.js ⓘ
usedIn	Node.js packages ⓘ many legacy JavaScript codebases ⓘ npm ecosystem ⓘ linked to: npm
usesFunction	exports ⓘ module.exports ⓘ require ⓘ

How these facts were elicited