node.js require() cache - possible to invalidate?

Question

From the node.js documentation:

Modules are cached after the first time they are loaded. This means (among other things) that every call to require(\'

Answer 1

There's a Simple Module for that (with tests)

We had this exact issue while testing our code (delete cached modules so they can be re-required in a fresh state) so we reviewed all the suggestions of people on the various StackOverflow Questions & Answers and put together a simple node.js module (with tests):

https://www.npmjs.com/package/decache

As you would expect, works for both published npm packages and locally defined modules. Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.

How? (usage)

Usage is pretty simple:

install

Install the module from npm:

npm install decache --save-dev

Use it in your code:

// require the decache module:
const decache = require('decache');

// require a module that you wrote"
let mymod = require('./mymodule.js');

// use your module the way you need to:
console.log(mymod.count()); // 0   (the initial state for our counter is zero)
console.log(mymod.incrementRunCount()); // 1

// delete the cached module:
decache('./mymodule.js');

//
mymod = require('./mymodule.js'); // fresh start
console.log(mymod.count()); // 0   (back to initial state ... zero)

If you have any questions or need more examples, please create a GitHub issue: https://github.com/dwyl/decache/issues