canirequire

canirequire › ESM-only › archiver

Is archiver ESM-only? Can you require() it?

a streaming interface for archive generation

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against archiver@8.0.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 8.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 7.0.1

archiver dropped its CommonJS build in 8.0.0 (May 2026). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 7.0.1, published Mar 10, 2024.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("archiver") 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
8.0.0 (May 8, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
7.0.1
ESM-only since
8.0.0 (May 8, 2026)
TypeScript types
@types/archiver
Node engines
>=18
Weekly downloads
36.8M
License
MIT

Does archiver@8.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("archiver")import "archiver"
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 archiver

ES modules (import)

import archiver from "archiver";

CommonJS (require)

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

// Any Node.js version:
const archiver = await import("archiver");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install archiver@7.0.1

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (80 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
8.0.0ESM-onlyMay 8, 2026
0.6.0 – 7.0.1CommonJSFeb 15, 2014

Frequently asked

Is archiver ESM-only?

archiver@8.0.0 is ESM-only. archiver dropped its CommonJS build in 8.0.0 (May 2026). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 7.0.1, published Mar 10, 2024.

Which version of archiver still supports CommonJS / require()?

7.0.1 is the last version of archiver with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install archiver@7.0.1". Every version from 8.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use archiver from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("archiver"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("archiver") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin archiver@7.0.1.

Does archiver work in Bun?

Yes. import "archiver" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does archiver ship TypeScript types?

Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/archiver".

Links

Other esm-only packages

Similar popularity