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

Regular expression for matching ANSI escape codes

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against ansi-regex@6.3.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 6.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 5.0.1

ansi-regex dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.0.1, published Sep 14, 2021.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("ansi-regex") 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
6.3.0 (Aug 12, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
5.0.1
ESM-only since
6.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=12
Weekly downloads
345.3M
License
MIT

Does ansi-regex@6.3.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("ansi-regex")import "ansi-regex"
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-regex

ES modules (import)

import ansiRegex from "ansi-regex";

CommonJS (require)

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

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

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install ansi-regex@5.0.1

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (21 versions; the newest 21 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
6.0.0 – 6.3.0ESM-onlyApr 16, 2021
0.1.0 – 5.0.1CommonJSJun 3, 2014

Frequently asked

Is ansi-regex ESM-only?

ansi-regex@6.3.0 is ESM-only. ansi-regex dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.0.1, published Sep 14, 2021.

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

5.0.1 is the last version of ansi-regex with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install ansi-regex@5.0.1". Every version from 6.0.0 on is ESM-only.

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

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("ansi-regex"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("ansi-regex") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin ansi-regex@5.0.1.

Does ansi-regex work in Bun?

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

Does ansi-regex ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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