A Well-Designed JavaScript Module System is Your First Architecture Decision

This article explores how JavaScript's module system is a foundational architectural decision that shapes code organization and project structure. - JavaScript modules create private scopes and define system boundaries, moving beyond just splitting code into separate files - CommonJS prioritizes flexibility with dynamic imports, while ESM restricts imports to the top level to enable static analysis and tree-shaking for smaller bundle sizes - Clean Architecture's Dependency Rule dictates that dependencies must flow inward toward business logic, with outer layers containing frameworks and infrastructure - Module graphs visualize dependency flows between modules, revealing circular dependencies and tight coupling that can be detected using tools like Madge and Dependency Cruiser - Barrel files offer cleaner imports but can obscure actual dependencies and make module relationships harder to track

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