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javascript

ReferenceError: __dirname is not defined in ES module scope

Error message

ReferenceError: __dirname is not defined in ES module scope

What broke

__dirname is a Node.js global variable that provides the directory name of the current module. In ES module scope, this variable is not defined, leading to a ReferenceError when trying to access it.

Why it broke

The error occurs because ES modules do not have access to certain Node.js globals like __dirname and __filename. This is by design, as ES modules aim for a more standardized module system.

How to fix

To fix this error, you can use the import.meta.url property to derive the directory name. You can then use the URL module to convert it to a file path.

Code fix

import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'; import { dirname } from 'path'; const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url); const __dirname = dirname(__filename);

Explained by ErrorOracle

Prevention tip

You can then use the URL module to convert it to a file path.

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