diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.ts
index 07c6e262e..415c530ed 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/hooks.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 'use strict';
 
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
 import {strict as assert} from 'assert';
-const hooks = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/hooks');
-const plugins = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs');
+import hooks from '../../../static/js/pluginfw/hooks.js';
+import pluginDefs from '../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs.js';
 import sinon from 'sinon';
 import {MapArrayType} from "../../../node/types/MapType";
 
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+
+const plugins = pluginDefs;
+
 
 interface ExtendedConsole extends Console {
   warn: {
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/i18n.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/i18n.ts
index 0f0b9be2a..400fd3399 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/i18n.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/i18n.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
-const common = require('../common');
-const i18n = require('../../../node/hooks/i18n');
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
+import assert from 'assert';
+import common from '../common.js';
+import i18n from '../../../node/hooks/i18n.js';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
 describe(__filename, function () {
   before(async function () {
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts
index 3f836ae40..6d7695d65 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/settings.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
-import {exportedForTestingOnly} from '../../../node/utils/Settings'
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
+import assert from 'assert';
+import {exportedForTestingOnly} from '../../../node/utils/Settings.js'
 import path from 'path';
 import process from 'process';
 
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+
 describe(__filename, function () {
   describe('parseSettings', function () {
     let settings: any;
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/socketio.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/socketio.ts
index b235974aa..ffebc8dc9 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/socketio.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/socketio.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,21 @@
 'use strict';
 
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
 import {MapArrayType} from "../../../node/types/MapType";
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
-const common = require('../common');
-const padManager = require('../../../node/db/PadManager');
-const plugins = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs');
-import readOnlyManager from '../../../node/db/ReadOnlyManager';
-import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings';
-const socketIoRouter = require('../../../node/handler/SocketIORouter');
+import assert from 'assert';
+import common from '../common.js';
+import padManager from '../../../node/db/PadManager.js';
+import pluginDefs from '../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs.js';
+import readOnlyManager from '../../../node/db/ReadOnlyManager.js';
+import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings.js';
+import socketIoRouter from '../../../node/handler/SocketIORouter.js';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+
+const plugins = pluginDefs;
 
 describe(__filename, function () {
   this.timeout(30000);
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/specialpages.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/specialpages.ts
index 3f0092a61..c8884a2f7 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/specialpages.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/specialpages.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 'use strict';
 
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
 import {strict as assert} from 'assert';
 import {MapArrayType} from "../../../node/types/MapType";
 
-const common = require('../common');
-import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings';
+import common from '../common.js';
+import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings.js';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
 
 
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/undo_clear_authorship.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/undo_clear_authorship.ts
index 5ec73ca17..1e9c9f382 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/undo_clear_authorship.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/undo_clear_authorship.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 'use strict';
 
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
+
 /**
  * Tests for https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/issues/2802
  *
@@ -13,11 +16,14 @@
 
 import {PadType} from "../../../node/types/PadType";
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
-const common = require('../common');
-const padManager = require('../../../node/db/PadManager');
-import AttributePool from '../../../static/js/AttributePool';
-import padutils from '../../../static/js/pad_utils';
+import assert from 'assert';
+import common from '../common.js';
+import padManager from '../../../node/db/PadManager.js';
+import AttributePool from '../../../static/js/AttributePool.js';
+import padutils from '../../../static/js/pad_utils.js';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
 
 describe(__filename, function () {
   let agent: any;
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/webaccess.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/webaccess.ts
index 919bb1a41..afa2b4855 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/webaccess.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/webaccess.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,20 @@
 'use strict';
 
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'node:url';
+import {dirname} from 'node:path';
 import {MapArrayType} from "../../../node/types/MapType";
 import {Func} from "mocha";
 import {SettingsUser} from "../../../node/types/SettingsUser";
 
-const assert = require('assert').strict;
-const common = require('../common');
-const plugins = require('../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs');
-import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings';
+import assert from 'assert';
+import common from '../common.js';
+import pluginDefs from '../../../static/js/pluginfw/plugin_defs.js';
+import settings from '../../../node/utils/Settings.js';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+
+const plugins = pluginDefs;
 
 describe(__filename, function () {
   this.timeout(30000);