Error while loading config - You appear to be using a native ECMAScript module configuration file

Question

This error is coming up when I am making a pull request. There is a GitHub workflow audit that runs checks on the pull request and it loads the test file from another repository.

- name: Run Audits
      run: npx jest audits/ch-2 --json --outputFile=audits/ch-2.json --noStackTrace


Test suite failed to run

    /Users/frankukachukwu/StudioProjects/covid-19-estimator-tksilicon-js/babel.config.js: Error while loading config - You appear to be using a native ECMAScript module configuration file, which is only supported when running Babel asynchronously.

How do I solve this issue?

I had to support ES6 styled code like export default and import instead of require and module.exports because it a predetermined style which must be met to pass PR checks. @JulienTASSIN — tksilicon, Apr 11 '20 at 07:39
@tksilicon you need to provide the solution as an 'answer', not nested in your question. Please can you fix? — GWed, May 22 '20 at 05:21

score 131 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 22 '23 at 07:12

131

TL;DR: Changing babel.config.<extension> to babel.config.cjs did the work. Check babel docs if you need a different config.

This has got to do with Babel settings. The use of .mjs, cjs or .js extension for the babel.config.extension. In my case where I was running LTE Node 12.6.2. I needed this configuration at the root of my directory babel.config.cjs. cjs is what is applicable for Nodejs when using "type"="module". See more about it here on babel docs.

module.exports = {
  presets: [
    [
      '@babel/preset-env',
      {
        targets: {
          node: 'current'
        }
      }
    ]
  ]
};

And jest.config.cjs at the root too.

edited Aug 22 '23 at 07:12

jonrsharpe

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answered May 22 '20 at 05:34

tksilicon

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105

Renaming babel.config.js to babel.config.cjs did it for me! Thanks. – pbatey May 24 '20 at 21:27
@pbatey wow how do you explain that ?! Anyway thanks buddy saved me time. – Amesys Mar 31 '21 at 22:40
3

@Amesys I read that cjs means commonJS, I've been using node with --experimental-modules so I'm guessing .js defaults to modules (import) instead of commonJS (require). – pbatey Apr 20 '21 at 21:10

score 31 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 02 '22 at 15:03

31

In addition to "cjs" solution, I was able to resolve this issue by converting babel.config.js to babel.config.json:

{
  "presets": [
    [
      "@babel/preset-env",
      {
        "targets": {
          "node": "current"
        }
      }
    ],
    "@babel/preset-typescript"
  ]
}

answered Feb 02 '22 at 15:03

dhilt

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this works as well, please note that `@babel/preset-typescript` needs to be installed – Exodus Reed Jan 31 '23 at 11:21
This helped me resolve the issue on my end, with vite. – aevin Apr 05 '23 at 17:33
For me only this solution worked and I also had to add to `package.json` this jest config: `"jest": { "modulePaths": [""] }` – Evgeniya Manolova Aug 30 '23 at 11:26

Error while loading config - You appear to be using a native ECMAScript module configuration file

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