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Is ansi-escapes ESM-only? Can you require() it?

ANSI escape codes for manipulating the terminal

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against ansi-escapes@7.3.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 5.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 4.3.2

ansi-escapes dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 4.3.2, published Mar 24, 2021.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("ansi-escapes") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 20, 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

Latest
7.3.0 (Feb 4, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
4.3.2
ESM-only since
5.0.0 (Apr 18, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=18
Weekly downloads
113.6M
License
MIT

Does ansi-escapes@7.3.0 actually load? Runtime test results

Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("ansi-escapes") from a CommonJS file and import "ansi-escapes" from an ES module.

Runtimerequire("ansi-escapes")import "ansi-escapes"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✓ works
Node.js 20✓ works✓ works
Node.js 22✓ works✓ works
Node.js 24✓ works✓ works
Node.js 26✓ works✓ works
Bun 1.4✓ works✓ works

How to import ansi-escapes

ES modules (import)

import ansiEscapes from "ansi-escapes";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const ansiEscapes = require("ansi-escapes");

// Any Node.js version:
const ansiEscapes = await import("ansi-escapes");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install ansi-escapes@4.3.2

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (28 versions; the newest 28 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
5.0.0 – 7.3.0ESM-onlyApr 18, 2021
1.0.0 – 4.3.2CommonJSAug 14, 2015

Frequently asked

Is ansi-escapes ESM-only?

ansi-escapes@7.3.0 is ESM-only. ansi-escapes dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 4.3.2, published Mar 24, 2021.

Which version of ansi-escapes still supports CommonJS / require()?

4.3.2 is the last version of ansi-escapes with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install ansi-escapes@4.3.2". Every version from 5.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use ansi-escapes from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("ansi-escapes"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("ansi-escapes") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin ansi-escapes@4.3.2.

Does ansi-escapes work in Bun?

Yes. import "ansi-escapes" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does ansi-escapes ship TypeScript types?

Yes. ansi-escapes bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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