An issue arises with the Error message stating,

Warning: To load an ES module, set "type": "module" in the package.json or

, which has been linked to a Bug in ts-node: https://github.com/TypeStrong/ts-node/issues/935

This Bug has since been marked as closed, but there is still an ongoing discussion on how to resolve it: https://github.com/TypeStrong/ts-node/issues/1007

Despite claims, I find that specifying

"type": "module"

in package.json is unnecessary.

My tsconfig.json file utilizes

"module": "commonjs"

rather than

"module": "es6",

.

Until the resolution of ts-node issue #1007, this remains a noted technical debt.

When using ts-node in a project, it typically relies on the local tsconfig.json file, which may not be configured for execution purposes.

To override these default settings for ts-node, you can create a specific section in your tsconfig.json. In my case, specifying to build for esm has worked well:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    ...
  },
  "ts-node": {
    "esm": true,
    "compilerOptions": {
      "module": "nodenext",
    }
  }
}

Perhaps you can try the following solution:

run the following command in your terminal: node --no-warnings --loader ts-node/esm file.ts

node --import "data:text/javascript,import {register} from 'node:module'; import {pathToFileURL} from 'node:url'; register('ts-node/esm', pathToFileURL('./'))" my-script.ts

Operational on Node.js v20.8.0+. 😢

...

You have the option to generate a file called ts-loader.js:

import {register} from 'node:module'
import {pathToFileURL} from 'node:url'

register('ts-node/esm', pathToFileURL('./'))

Then:

node --import ./ts-loader.js my-script.ts

^{Note: Avoid using the loader path as ts-loader.js (if the loader file is within your source). Instead, make sure you use the relative path: ./ts-loader.js like in your internal imports!}

Downsides:

1. It cannot resolve imports without extensions inside my-script.ts (as well as recursively in files imported in my-script.ts)! Therefore, all your imports must explicitly include .js extension (or potentially .ts extension if you set up allowImportingTsExtensions in your tsconfig.json).
2. Additionally, you must not exclude /index.js//index.ts from the end of your paths!
3. It does not handle jsx/tsx contents!
4. Based on my tests, it does not adhere to the compilerOptions.paths configuration in your tsconfig.json. For instance, if you set something like

   "@/*": ["./src/*"]

   in your paths, then the above loader will fail to resolve @/... prefixed imports within my-script.ts (and in files directly or indirectly imported in it)!
5. In the simple cases I tested, it was approximately twice as slow as the superior solution below utilizing esbuild:

---

Better alternative solution employing register()/--import of node.js v20.8+ and esbuild:

I devised this loader script for my projects:

register-ts-loader.js:

// Helpful links:  
// https://stackoverflow.com/a/68621282/5318303  
// https://github.com/nodejs/loaders-test/blob/main/typescript-loader/loader.js  
// https://github.com/nodejs/loaders-test/blob/main/commonjs-extension-resolution-loader/loader.js  
  
import {transform} from 'esbuild'  
import {readFile} from 'node:fs/promises'  
import {isBuiltin, register} from 'node:module'  
import {dirname, extname, posix, relative, resolve as resolvePath, sep} from 'node:path'  
import {fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL} from 'node:url'  

// Keep this loader towards the end of the chain.
register(import.meta.url, pathToFileURL('./'))

export async function resolve(specifier, context, nextResolve) {
  if (isBuiltin(specifier)) return nextResolve(specifier, context)
  // Remaining logic follows...

And then:

node --import ./register-ts-loader.js my-script.ts

without experiencing the aforementioned drawbacks. 😊

^{Don't forget npm i -D esbuild.
Also, refer to:}

---

Check out my other response detailing new Node.js features related to --loader and newer --import + register():

UPDATE:

The tsx package presents another excellent solution, leveraging esbuild and certain new Node.js functionalities. It includes additional valuable features such as TypeScript REPL, shebang, etc.!

Error [ERR_UNSUPPORTED_DIR_IMPORT]: Directory import when attempting to start Nodejs App locally

---

As an alternative, consider utilizing Bun.js with its built-in TypeScript support and various optimizations and features.

To include the CommonJS module, simply use the following command:

npx ts-node -O '{\"module\": \"commonjs\"}' db/initializers/inituser.ts

There is no requirement to specify

"type": "module"

in the package.json file anymore.

For those coming across this Stack Overflow question seeking guidance on how to utilize ts-node in VS Code without encountering the deprecation warning, here's a solution:

1. Follow Mir-Ismaili's suggestion and create a .js file.
2. In VS Code's launch.json, update or create a launch configuration that incorporates a runtimeArgs section like the one below:

    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Launch using ts-node",
            "request": "launch",
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "env": {
                "NODE_ENV": "development",
                "DEBUG": "wa_reminders:*",
                "DEBUG_COLORS": "true",
            },
            "runtimeArgs": [
                "--import",
                "./src/ts-loader.js"
            ],
            "args": [
                "${relativeFile}"
            ],
            "skipFiles": [
                "<node_internals>/**",
                "<node_modules>/**"
            ],
            "type": "node",
        },
        ...    
    ]