Sling Academy
Home/Next.js/Solving Next.js SyntaxError: Unexpected token ‘export’

Solving Next.js SyntaxError: Unexpected token ‘export’

Last updated: January 02, 2024

If you are developing with Next.js, you might encounter the SyntaxError: Unexpected token ‘export’ error. This issue often occurs due to the use of ES6 modules or incompatible node module versions. Since Next.js utilizes server-side rendering, managing imports and exports can sometimes lead to unexpected behaviors, particularly when a package or a file does not use the CommonJS syntax that is expected in a Node.js environment.

Understanding the Cause of the Error

When you see a SyntaxError complaining about an unexpected ‘export’, you are mostly dealing with an incompatibility between module types. Next.js and Node.js default to CommonJS modules. However, if part of your code or one of the imported modules uses ES6 module syntax (such as export and import statements), Node.js might throw this error because it expects the CommonJS syntax (module.exports and require() statements).

Native Node Support for ES Modules

In more recent versions of Node.js, ES Modules are supported out-of-the-box. Ensuring that you’re using a compatible version of Node.js might solve your problem. If you’re working with an older version, you can enable support by adding "type": "module" in your project’s package.json. But caution is advised: switching a Next.js project to ES6 modules may require rewriting parts of your application or affect dependencies not written to use ES6 modules.

Transpiling Dependencies

If the syntax error points to node_modules, it’s likely due to a third-party dependency published as ES6. You can configure Next.js to transpile these dependencies using the next-transpile-modules package or with custom babel configurations. To use next-transpile-modules, you would install it as a dependency, import it in your next.config.js file, and include the problematic modules in its function call.

const withTM = require('next-transpile-modules')(['module-name']);

module.exports = withTM({
  // Additional Next.js configurations...
});

CommonJS and ES6 Interop

For cases where you control the source of the error, modify your export statements to adhere to CommonJS when dealing with Node.js backend code or the parts of the application that get executed on the server. That means changing export default and export const statements to their CommonJS equivalents. Here’s what that conversion might look like:

// Before (ES6)
export const functionName = () => { /*...*/ };

export default className;

// After (CommonJS)
const functionName = () => { /*...*/ };
module.exports.functionName = functionName;

module.exports = className;

Checking the Source Code

After modifying your code or third-party modules, ensure you check through your source to find instances where module syntax issues could potentially arise. This can be a labor-intensive process, but there are tools and linters that can help identify incorrect usage of imports and exports. After resolving these issues, your application should start working again if there were no other underlying problems.

Next Article: How to set up internationalization (i18n) in Next.js

Previous Article: Fixing Next.js Error: Cannot Load Images from Public Folder

Series: Common Errors in Next.js

Next.js

Related Articles

You May Also Like

  • Solving Next.js Image Component Error with CSS Classes
  • How to Use MUI (Material UI) in Next.js 14
  • Fixing Data Update Issues in Next.js Production
  • Fixing Next.js Undefined ENV Variables in Production Build
  • Next.js Error: Found Page Without a React Component as Default Export – How to Fix
  • Fixing Next.js Error: Blank Page on Production Build
  • Fixing Next.js Error when Importing SVGs: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • Next.js Issue: useEffect Hook Running Twice in Client
  • Fixing ‘self’ is not defined error in Next.js when importing client-side libraries
  • How to Dockerize a Next.js App for Production
  • How to set up Next.js with Docker Composer and Nginx
  • Solving Next.js CORS Issues: A Comprehensive Guide
  • Fixing Next.js Hydration Mismatch Error in Simple Ways
  • Next.js Error: Cannot use import statement outside a module
  • Next.js: How to Access Files in the Public Folder
  • Fixing Next.js Import CSS Error: A Simple Guide
  • Fixing LocalStorage Not Defined Error in Next.js
  • Fixing Next.js Error: No HTTP Methods Exported
  • Fixing Next.js Error: Only Absolute URLs Are Supported