NodeJs Npm Start works but node index.js doesn't. SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier

Question

I have an app in NodeJS with Apollo Server, Graphql, etc. I want to use PM2 to have my index like a service so, when I close the console It dont stop.

When I execute npm start the server starts perfect. This is my start in package.json

"start": "nodemon ./index.js --exec babel-node -e js",

If I execute node index.js then this error appears.

/home/ubuntu/react/desafio/servidor/index.js:1
import express from 'express';
       ^^^^^^^

SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:721:23)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:787:10)
    at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:653:32)
    at tryModuleLoad (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:593:12)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:585:3)
    at Function.Module.runMain (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:829:12)
    at startup (internal/bootstrap/node.js:283:19)
    at bootstrapNodeJSCore (internal/bootstrap/node.js:622:3)

this is my index.js code

 import express from 'express';
    import { ApolloServer, AuthenticationError } from 'apollo-server-express';
    import { typeDefs } from './data/schema';
    import { resolvers } from './data/resolvers';
    import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
    import dotenv from 'dotenv';
    import db from "./models";

    dotenv.config({path:'variables.env'});

    const cors = require('cors');
    const app = express();
    // enable cors

     // app.use(cors());
    const addToken = async (req) =>{

    }
    const server=  new ApolloServer({
        typeDefs,
        resolvers
    });

    server.applyMiddleware({app});
    app.listen({port:9000},()=> console.log(`Server Corriendo http://localhost:9000${server.graphqlPath}`));

what Im doing wrong?

jese_moriarty jese_moriarty · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-30T05:49:33

node index.js will throw an error because your code is in ES6, to successfully run your code you will have to run it with babel-node which will compile it to ES5. babel-node comes with the babel-cli which you have to install.

" ./index.js --exec babel-node -e js" exactly does this which is to compile ES6 to ES5

Babel helps to turn our codes from ES6 to ES5. There are some ES6 features that our browsers and node are yet to understand, and older browsers do not understand ES6 codes, so we use babel to compile our code to ES5 so that both old browsers and new browsers can understand.

NodeJs Npm Start works but node index.js doesn't. SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier

2 Answers