When beginning with node.js and modules, it's always difficult to understand the difference between exports and module.exports. Exports is a local reference to an empty plain object ({}), where module.exports is also referring to. But module.exports is what is assigned to the return value of the require() method, not exports. Changing exports to…

output.txt

exports {}
module.exports {}
module.exports == exports YES
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
exports {}
module.exports function myExport() { console.log('an exported function instead of a plain object'); }
module.exports == exports NO
an exported function instead of a plain object

test.js

console.log("exports", exports);
console.log("module.exports", module.exports);
console.log("module.exports == exports", (module.exports==exports?"YES":"NO"));

console.log("- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -");
module.exports = function myExport() { console.log('an exported function instead of a plain object'); };

console.log("exports", exports);
console.log("module.exports", module.exports);
console.log("module.exports == exports", (module.exports==exports?"YES":"NO"));

// var test = require("./test"); test();