clear-module

library4.1.3jsnpmunverified

Clear a module from the Node.js require cache, forcing a fresh reload on the next require. Current stable version is 4.1.3 (last updated 2020, Node >=8). It recursively clears the target module and all its parent modules from the cache. Alternatives like delete require.cache[require.resolve(...)] do not handle recursive clearing. Common use case: testing where modules have state or need to be reloaded. Ships TypeScript definitions. Low maintenance, no dependencies.

testing

npm install clear-module

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · CLEAR-MODULE

clear-module

testingjavascriptv4.1.3

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

clearModule

✓ import clearModule from 'clear-module'

✗ const clearModule = require('clear-module')

Package is ESM-only since v4. For CommonJS, use dynamic import or stick with v3.

clearModule.all

✓ clearModule.all()

Clears all modules from the cache. No arguments required.

clearModule.match

✓ clearModule.match(/regex/)

✗ clearMatch(/regex/)

Takes a RegExp to match module IDs. For string patterns, construct a RegExp.

clearModule.single

✓ clearModule.single(moduleId)

✗ clearModule.single(moduleId, true)

Clears only the specified module, not its parents or children. Added in v4.

Demonstrates using clear-module to reset a module's cached exports. Shows ESM import, creating a require, and verifying fresh state.

import clearModule from 'clear-module'; import { createRequire } from 'module'; const require = createRequire(import.meta.url); // Create a module with state require.cache = {}; const modPath = './test-module.js'; // Write a temporary module import { writeFileSync, unlinkSync } from 'fs'; writeFileSync('./test-module.js', 'let count = 0; module.exports = () => ++count;'); try { const fn1 = require(modPath); console.log(fn1()); // 1 console.log(fn1()); // 2 clearModule(modPath); const fn2 = require(modPath); console.log(fn2()); // 1 (fresh) } finally { unlinkSync('./test-module.js'); }

Debug

Known issues

breakingESM-only in v4. CommonJS require() will throw.

fix

Use import or upgrade to Node >=12.22.0 with --experimental-modules flag if needed, or downgrade to v3.

affects: >=4.0.0

breakingNode version minimum raised to v8 (v3 required node >=6, v4 requires node >=8).

fix

Upgrade Node.js to v8 or higher.

affects: >=4.0.0

deprecatedThe 'all' method with no arguments still works but might be deprecated in future.

fix

Use clearModule.all() only when needed; prefer targeted clears.

affects: >=4.0.0

gotchaDoes not clear built-in modules (node:fs, etc.) or modules loaded via ESM import (only affects CJS require cache).

fix

For ESM cache clearing, use dynamic import with cache busting (e.g., import(`${url}?update=${Date.now()}`)).

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'export'

Using CommonJS require() with ESM-only v4 import syntax.

fix

Use dynamic import: const clearModule = (await import('clear-module')).default;

Cannot find module 'clear-module'

Package not installed or not in node_modules path.

fix

Run `npm install clear-module` in your project root.

TypeError: clearModule is not a function

Incorrect import when using default export: the package exports a default function, but some users mistakenly import as a namespace.

fix

Use `import clearModule from 'clear-module'` (default import) not `import * as clearModule from 'clear-module'`.

Error: Cannot find module './foo'

Module ID passed to clearModule does not match what require() expects (missing ./ or path issue).

fix

Ensure moduleId is the same string you pass to require(), including relative path (e.g., './foo').

Upgrade

Version history

4.1.3latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/sindresorhus/clear-module ↗

packageclear-module ↗

homepagehttps://github.com/sindresorhus/clear-module#readme ↗