Cannot find name 'require' Error in TypeScript [Solved]

# Cannot find name 'require' or 'process' Error in TypeScript

To solve the "Cannot find name require" error, install the node types by running npm i -D @types/node.

If the error is not resolved, use declare var require: any to declare require as a global variable in your project.

# Install the typings for Node.js

Make sure you have the typings for Node.js installed.

Open your terminal in the root directory of your project (where your package.json file is) and run the following command.

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npm i -D @types/node

yarn add -D @types/node

If the error is still not resolved, try restarting your IDE.

If the error persists, make sure the types array in your tsconfig.json file contains "node".

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{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "types": [
      // ... your other types
      "node"
    ],
  },
}

That should fix the error in your project.

# Declare require as a global variable at the top of the file

If that also didn't help, try declaring require as a global variable at the top of the file where it's used.

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declare var require: any

The declare var syntax is used to declare a global variable.

You should now also be able to use the process global object.

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const DB_PASSWORD = process.env.DB_PASSWORD;

I've written a detailed article on how to define types for process.env in TypeScript.

# Delete your node_modules and reinstall your dependencies

If the error is not resolved, try to delete your node_modules and package-lock.json files, re-run npm install and restart your IDE.

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# 👇️  (Windows) delete node_modules and package-lock.json
rd /s /q "node_modules"
del package-lock.json
del -f yarn.lock

# 👇️  (macOS/Linux) delete node_modules and package-lock.json
rm -rf node_modules
rm -f package-lock.json
rm -f yarn.lock

# 👇️ clean npm cache
npm cache clean --force

npm install

# Restart your code editor and development server

Make sure to restart your code editor and development server if the error persists.

VSCode often glitches and needs a reboot.

# Try to convert the require syntax to ES Modules

If that also doesn't solve your issue, you can try converting the require syntax to ES6 modules import syntax.

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// 👇️ default import
import myFunction from 'some-module';

// 👇️ named import
import { myFunction } from 'some-module';

The first example shows how to import a default export, and the second - a named export.

If you are trying to import one of your own, local files, use relative paths.

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// 👇️ default import
import myFunction from './my-module';

// 👇️ named import
import { myFunction } from './my-module';

Generally, you should stick to using the ES6 modules import/export syntax when working in TypeScript.

Once your code is compiled, it will still be converted to an older, more widely supported syntax.

Installing the typings for Node.js should also resolve the "Cannot find name 'process'" error in TypeScript.

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npm i -D @types/node

Now you should be able to use the process global object.

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const DB_PASSWORD = process.env.DB_PASSWORD;

If the error persists, try restarting your IDE.