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

ANSI escape codes for styling strings in the terminal

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against ansi-styles@7.0.0. Markdown · JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 6.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 5.2.0

ansi-styles dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 5.2.0, published Mar 31, 2021; it declares support for Node.js >=10.

On Node.js 22.12+ and newer (ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares Node.js >=22), require("ansi-styles") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 22, 24 and 26. Node.js 18 has no require(esm), and ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares Node.js >=22, so 18 is outside its supported range anyway.

ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares engines ">=22", so Node.js 18, 20 are outside its supported range regardless of module format.

What to do

  1. On Node.js 22.12+ and newer (ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares Node.js >=22), require("ansi-styles") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 22, 24 and 26.
  2. From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const ansiStyles = await import("ansi-styles"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=22).
  3. If you need a synchronous require() or run Node.js 18: npm install ansi-styles@5.2.0, the last CommonJS release (published Mar 31, 2021); it declares Node.js >=10.
  4. ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares engines ">=22", so Node.js 18, 20 are unsupported regardless: upgrade Node.js or pin an older release.
  5. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
7.0.0 (Jul 26, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
5.2.0
ESM-only since
6.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=22
Weekly downloads
470.9M
License
MIT

Does ansi-styles@7.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("ansi-styles")import "ansi-styles"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✗ failsSyntaxError
Node.js 20✓ works✓ works
Node.js 22✓ works✓ works
Node.js 24✓ works✓ works
Node.js 26✓ works✓ works
Bun 1.4.0✓ works✓ works

How to import ansi-styles

ES modules (import)

import * as ansiStyles from "ansi-styles";

Namespace import shown because the ESM entry may have no default export; use named imports for what it exports.

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 22.12+ and newer (verified):
const ansiStyles = require("ansi-styles");

// Any Node.js version the package supports (>=22), from an async function:
async function main() {
  const ansiStyles = await import("ansi-styles");
}

// Or pin the last CommonJS release (declares Node.js >=10):
// npm install ansi-styles@5.2.0

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm, corrected where a runtime test of that version contradicted them (29 versions; the newest 29 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
6.0.0 – 7.0.0ESM-onlyApr 16, 2021
0.1.0 – 5.2.0CommonJSJul 31, 2013

Frequently asked

Is ansi-styles ESM-only?

ansi-styles@7.0.0 is ESM-only. ansi-styles dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 5.2.0, published Mar 31, 2021; it declares support for Node.js >=10.

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

5.2.0 is the last version of ansi-styles with a CommonJS build; it declares Node.js >=10. Install it with "npm install ansi-styles@5.2.0". Every version from 6.0.0 on is ESM-only.

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

From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const ansiStyles = await import("ansi-styles"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=22). On Node.js 22.12+ and newer (ansi-styles@7.0.0 declares Node.js >=22), require("ansi-styles") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 22, 24 and 26. Alternatively pin ansi-styles@5.2.0 (declares Node.js >=10).

Does ansi-styles work in Bun?

Yes. import "ansi-styles" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does ansi-styles ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other esm-only packages

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