Using Node.js require vs. ES6 import/export

As of right now ES6 import, export is always compiled to CommonJS, so there is no benefit using one or other. Although usage of ES6 is recommended since it should be advantageous when native support from browsers released. The reason being, you can import partials from one file while with CommonJS you have to require all of the file.

ES6 → import, export default, export

CommonJS → require, module.exports, exports.foo

Below is common usage of those.

ES6 export default

// hello.js
function hello() {
  return 'hello'
}
export default hello

// app.js
import hello from './hello'
hello() // returns hello

---

ES6 export multiple and import multiple

// hello.js
function hello1() {
  return 'hello1'
}
function hello2() {
  return 'hello2'
}
export { hello1, hello2 }

// app.js
import { hello1, hello2 } from './hello'
hello1()  // returns hello1
hello2()  // returns hello2

---

CommonJS module.exports

// hello.js
function hello() {
  return 'hello'
}
module.exports = hello

// app.js
const hello = require('./hello')
hello()   // returns hello

---

CommonJS module.exports multiple

// hello.js
function hello1() {
  return 'hello1'
}
function hello2() {
  return 'hello2'
}
module.exports = {
  hello1,
  hello2
}

// app.js
const hello = require('./hello')
hello.hello1()   // returns hello1
hello.hello2()   // returns hello2

Update

Since Node v12 (April 2019), support for ES modules is enabled by default, and since Node v15 (October 2020) it's stable (see here). Files including node modules must either end in .mjs or the nearest package.json file must contain "type": "module". The Node documentation has a ton more information, also about interop between CommonJS and ES modules.

Performance-wise there is always the chance that newer features are not as well optimized as existing features. However, since module files are only evaluated once, the performance aspect can probably be ignored. In the end you have to run benchmarks to get a definite answer anyway.

ES modules can be loaded dynamically via the import() function. Unlike require, this returns a promise.

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Previous answer

Are there any performance benefits to using one over the other?

Keep in mind that there is no JavaScript engine yet that natively supports ES6 modules. You said yourself that you are using Babel. Babel converts import and export declaration to CommonJS (require/module.exports) by default anyway. So even if you use ES6 module syntax, you will be using CommonJS under the hood if you run the code in Node.

There are technical differences between CommonJS and ES6 modules, e.g. CommonJS allows you to load modules dynamically. ES6 doesn't allow this, but there is an API in development for that.

Since ES6 modules are part of the standard, I would use them.

There are several usage / capabilities you might want to consider:

Require:

• You can have dynamic loading where the loaded module name isn't predefined /static, or where you conditionally load a module only if it's "truly required" (depending on certain code flow).
• Loading is synchronous. That means if you have multiple requires, they are loaded and processed one by one.

ES6 Imports:

• You can use named imports to selectively load only the pieces you need. That can save memory.
• Import can be asynchronous (and in current ES6 Module Loader, it in fact is) and can perform a little better.

Also, the Require module system isn't standard based. It's is highly unlikely to become standard now that ES6 modules exist. In the future there will be native support for ES6 Modules in various implementations which will be advantageous in terms of performance.