diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index 1ccb289b24791a..b893a934fc7405 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 const net = require('net');
 const url = require('url');
-const assert = require('assert').ok;
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const {
   _checkIsHttpToken: checkIsHttpToken,
   debug,
diff --git a/lib/_http_outgoing.js b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
index d89a34e664fe6b..eb889a6eff2106 100644
--- a/lib/_http_outgoing.js
+++ b/lib/_http_outgoing.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-const assert = require('assert').ok;
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const Stream = require('stream');
 const util = require('util');
 const internalUtil = require('internal/util');
diff --git a/lib/_http_server.js b/lib/_http_server.js
index f87c316345ab7f..8d39d468963be5 100644
--- a/lib/_http_server.js
+++ b/lib/_http_server.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 const util = require('util');
 const net = require('net');
-const assert = require('assert').ok;
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const {
   parsers,
   freeParser,
diff --git a/lib/_tls_wrap.js b/lib/_tls_wrap.js
index 79b9c6d3951a2f..182dab75843f8c 100644
--- a/lib/_tls_wrap.js
+++ b/lib/_tls_wrap.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 require('internal/util').assertCrypto();
 
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const crypto = require('crypto');
 const net = require('net');
 const tls = require('tls');
diff --git a/lib/internal/child_process.js b/lib/internal/child_process.js
index cb0d8ec6b65bbe..edbf396cf543d6 100644
--- a/lib/internal/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/internal/child_process.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const EventEmitter = require('events');
 const net = require('net');
 const dgram = require('dgram');
 const util = require('util');
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 
 const { Process } = internalBinding('process_wrap');
 const {
diff --git a/lib/internal/cluster/child.js b/lib/internal/cluster/child.js
index 272b0d2bd95008..38d52948e56da3 100644
--- a/lib/internal/cluster/child.js
+++ b/lib/internal/cluster/child.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const path = require('path');
 const EventEmitter = require('events');
 const { owner_symbol } = require('internal/async_hooks').symbols;
diff --git a/lib/internal/cluster/master.js b/lib/internal/cluster/master.js
index c4f8e2b0efa299..a0e194c63ef3c3 100644
--- a/lib/internal/cluster/master.js
+++ b/lib/internal/cluster/master.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const { fork } = require('child_process');
 const path = require('path');
 const EventEmitter = require('events');
diff --git a/lib/internal/cluster/shared_handle.js b/lib/internal/cluster/shared_handle.js
index 0b5f1531931b6c..408657623b2e3b 100644
--- a/lib/internal/cluster/shared_handle.js
+++ b/lib/internal/cluster/shared_handle.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const dgram = require('internal/dgram');
 const net = require('net');
 
diff --git a/lib/internal/crypto/cipher.js b/lib/internal/crypto/cipher.js
index 0e8e5c4cf8baf9..a2ede771ac3fa0 100644
--- a/lib/internal/crypto/cipher.js
+++ b/lib/internal/crypto/cipher.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ const {
   publicEncrypt: _publicEncrypt
 } = internalBinding('crypto');
 
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const LazyTransform = require('internal/streams/lazy_transform');
 
 const { deprecate, normalizeEncoding } = require('internal/util');
diff --git a/lib/internal/errors.js b/lib/internal/errors.js
index d8071e00639a6b..13a6194d0cb016 100644
--- a/lib/internal/errors.js
+++ b/lib/internal/errors.js
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ function getMessage(key, args) {
   const msg = messages.get(key);
 
   if (util === undefined) util = require('util');
-  if (assert === undefined) assert = require('assert');
+  if (assert === undefined) assert = require('internal/assert');
 
   if (typeof msg === 'function') {
     assert(
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
index 83c9b429ef6063..32d660a594171c 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/watchers.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const {
 const { toNamespacedPath } = require('path');
 const { validateUint32 } = require('internal/validators');
 const { toPathIfFileURL } = require('internal/url');
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 
 const kOldStatus = Symbol('kOldStatus');
 const kUseBigint = Symbol('kUseBigint');
diff --git a/lib/internal/http2/compat.js b/lib/internal/http2/compat.js
index 23c4e2e0f08893..ae5958912ed05e 100644
--- a/lib/internal/http2/compat.js
+++ b/lib/internal/http2/compat.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const Stream = require('stream');
 const Readable = Stream.Readable;
 const binding = internalBinding('http2');
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
index 3405ef43229bcc..158dda2fdc04ee 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/cjs/loader.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ const { NativeModule } = require('internal/bootstrap/loaders');
 const { pathToFileURL } = require('internal/url');
 const util = require('util');
 const vm = require('vm');
-const assert = require('assert').ok;
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const fs = require('fs');
 const internalFS = require('internal/fs/utils');
 const path = require('path');
diff --git a/lib/internal/modules/esm/module_job.js b/lib/internal/modules/esm/module_job.js
index e900babefd6261..016495096c3b33 100644
--- a/lib/internal/modules/esm/module_job.js
+++ b/lib/internal/modules/esm/module_job.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ const {
 } = primordials;
 
 const { decorateErrorStack } = require('internal/util');
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const resolvedPromise = SafePromise.resolve();
 
 function noop() {}
diff --git a/lib/internal/process/main_thread_only.js b/lib/internal/process/main_thread_only.js
index 290d2f7e9e2eb8..0ce063f928974a 100644
--- a/lib/internal/process/main_thread_only.js
+++ b/lib/internal/process/main_thread_only.js
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ function createSignalHandlers() {
 }
 
 function setupChildProcessIpcChannel() {
-  const assert = require('assert').strict;
+  const assert = require('internal/assert');
 
   const fd = parseInt(process.env.NODE_CHANNEL_FD, 10);
   assert(fd >= 0);
diff --git a/lib/internal/test/heap.js b/lib/internal/test/heap.js
index 3f4a905fc51836..52e00b9da5e136 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test/heap.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test/heap.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ process.emitWarning(
   'internal/test/heap');
 
 const { createHeapDump, buildEmbedderGraph } = internalBinding('heap_utils');
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 
 // This is not suitable for production code. It creates a full V8 heap dump,
 // parses it as JSON, and then creates complex objects from it, leading
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@ function createJSHeapDump() {
     edgeIndex++;
   }
 
-  for (const node of nodes)
-    assert.strictEqual(node.edge_count, node.outgoingEdges.length);
-
+  for (const node of nodes) {
+    assert(node.edge_count === node.outgoingEdges.length,
+           `${node.edge_count} !== ${node.outgoingEdges.length}`);
+  }
   return nodes;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 1cea5bf6ced0f0..2726e73272c73d 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const {
   normalizedArgsSymbol,
   makeSyncWrite
 } = require('internal/net');
-const assert = require('assert');
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const {
   UV_EADDRINUSE,
   UV_EINVAL
diff --git a/lib/zlib.js b/lib/zlib.js
index 5bb7f8bfcb0970..b267fda4eab1d5 100644
--- a/lib/zlib.js
+++ b/lib/zlib.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ const {
   }
 } = require('util');
 const binding = internalBinding('zlib');
-const assert = require('assert').ok;
+const assert = require('internal/assert');
 const {
   Buffer,
   kMaxLength