Unexpected Token Export in ES6 Code

When attempting to incorporate ES6 code into a project, an "unexpected token export" error may arise. This occurs because the environment does not support ECMAScript Module (ESM) syntax, which utilizes the export keyword.

Cause and Environment

NodeJS versions prior to 14.13.0 exclusively employ CommonJS Modules, which define exports through the module.exports property. ESM syntax is unsupported in older versions.

Solutions

1. Enable ESM in NodeJS 14.13.0 or Later: In your project's package.json file, set "type": "module" to enable ESM support.
2. Refactor using CommonJS Syntax: For older NodeJS versions, convert your code to use the module.exports syntax.
3. Utilize TypeScript with Ts-Node: Install the ts-node or ts-node-dev packages and write TypeScript code in .ts files. These packages enable immediate transpilation during development.
4. Transpile ESM to CommonJS using Esbuild: Configure esbuild to convert ESM code to CommonJS for compatibility with your environment. (Babel is no longer advised for this purpose.)