Invoking better-sqlite3 ES6 "import" causes issues when building the app with webpack

[dsportes]

I restricted the issue to a minimum lines of code.

Sources available in github.com/dsportes/bsql3

Regards

My server app runs with node v20 and I try to use only ES6 modules (not CommonJS ones), supposing that becomes the future sandard.

So in my app.js module:

import Database from 'better-sqlite3'
// import { Database } from './loadreq.js'
const db = Database(p)
...

It works. Just run: "npm run start"

Then I tried to build it with webpack. "npn run build"

In webpack.config.mjs I have an "externals" config:

externals: {
  // 'better-sqlite3': 'commonjs better-sqlite3' // Cannot find module 'better-sqlite3'
  // without the line above: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'indexOf')
}

Without "externals" configuration. When running "npm run test", I get:

Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'indexOf')

After reading few topics I added the line 'better-sqlite3': 'commonjs better-sqlite3'

"npn run build" and then "npm run test", I get:

Cannot find module 'better-sqlite3'

which is normal, the better-sqlite3 module being excluded.

I have no solution for having an app packed with webpack using better-sqlite3 ES6.

So in my app.js module I change for using CommonJs invocation:

// import Database from 'better-sqlite3'
import { Database } from './loadreq.js'
const db = Database(p)
...
loadreq.js: 
import { createRequire } from 'module'
const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
export const Database = require('better-sqlite3')

Everything is OK.

Why using ES6 style causes troubles to Webpack and not CommonJs style ?

Any idea or workaround ?

[bobogogo1990]

now we can use

import { createRequire } from "module";
const nodeRequire = createRequire(import.meta.url);
const config = {
    client: "better-sqlite3",
    connection: {
      filename: path.join("./mysqlite.sqlite"),
      options: {
        nativeBinding: nodeRequire(
          "better-sqlite3/build/Release/better_sqlite3.node",
        ),
      },
    },
    useNullAsDefault: true,
  };
const db = knex(config);