Previously #
V8 shipped the import assertions feature in v9.1. This feature allowed module import statements to include additional information by using the assert keyword. This additional information is currently used to import JSON and CSS modules inside JavaScript modules.
Import attributes #
Since then, import assertions has evolved into import attributes. The point of the feature remains the same: to allow module import statements to include additional information.
The most important difference is that import assertions had assert-only semantics, while import attributes has more relaxed semantics. Assert-only semantics means that the additional information has no effect on how a module is loaded, only on whether it is loaded. For example, a JSON module is always loaded as JSON module by virtue of its MIME type, and the assert { type: 'json' } clause can only cause loading to fail if the requested module's MIME type is not application/json.
However, assert-only semantics had a fatal flaw. On the web, the shape of HTTP requests differs depending on the type of resource that is requested. For example, the Accept header affects the MIME type of the response, and the Sec-Fetch-Dest metadata header affects whether the web server accepts or rejects the request. Because an import assertion could not affect how to load a module, it was not able to change the shape of the HTTP request. The type of the resource that is being requested also affects which Content Security Policies are used: import assertions could not correctly work with the security model of the web.
Import attributes relaxes the assert-only semantics to allow the attributes to affect how a module is loaded. In other words, import attributes can generate HTTP requests that contains the appropriate Accept and Sec-Fetch-Dest headers. To match the syntax to the new semantics, the old assert keyword is updated to with:
import json from './foo.json' with { type: 'json' };
console.log(json.answer);
Dynamic import() #
Similarly, dynamic import() is similarly updated to accept a with option.
const jsonModule = await import('./foo.json', {
with: { type: 'json' }
});
console.log(jsonModule.default.answer);
Availability of with #
Import attributes is enabled by default in V8 v12.3.
Deprecation and eventual removal of assert #
The assert keyword is deprecated as of V8 v12.3 and is planned to be removed by v12.6. Please use with instead of assert! Use of the assert clause will print a warning to the console urging use of with instead.
Import attribute support #