[wruza]

Why doesn't nodejs just make modules async?

  // main.js
  const fs = require("fs")
  const foo = await require_async("foo")

  await foo.sleep(1000)

  // other.js
  require("./main.js")

  // RequireError: main.js returned an unsettled promise, use require_async()

Wouldn't that be better of both worlds?

[eyelidlessness]

Node did make modules async (just ESM modules). They can’t/won’t make CJS async because their synchronous semantics are a guarantee they determined not to break well before ESM. If you want async modules, ESM is the solution for that.

[wruza]

ESM will be the solution to that, when all the major toolchains catch up. I wouldn't sell this future short, but we aren't there yet either.

[eyelidlessness]

I agree but I think we’re there (if kicking a bit and screaming a bit).