# Is babel-cli ESM-only? Can you require() it?

> babel-cli@6.26.0 declares a CommonJS entry, but require() fails at runtime. CommonJS on paper — require() failed in our runtime test.

Babel command line.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against babel-cli@6.26.0.

babel-cli declares a CommonJS entry only, but require("babel-cli") failed on every Node.js version in our probe: Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`. import "babel-cli" resolves to the same file, so it fails the same way. That usually means a missing peer dependency, a browser-only global, or a package that is not meant to be loaded directly; see the runtime table below.

## What to do

1. require("babel-cli") failed in our probe on every Node.js version (Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`); check the package README for peer dependencies or setup before relying on it.
2. From ES modules use the default import: import babelCli from "babel-cli"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
3. TypeScript: no types are available for babel-cli; declare the module yourself if you need them.

## Facts

- Latest: 6.26.0 (Aug 16, 2017)
- Module format: CommonJS
- Last CommonJS version: 6.26.0
- TypeScript types: none
- Node engines: not declared
- Weekly downloads: 311K
- License: MIT

## Runtime test results for babel-cli@6.26.0

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

| Runtime | require("babel-cli") | import "babel-cli" |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js 18 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |
| Node.js 20 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |
| Node.js 22 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |
| Node.js 24 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |
| Node.js 26 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |
| Bun 1.4.0 | fails (Error) | fails (Error) |

## How to import babel-cli

ES modules:

```js
import babelCli from "babel-cli";
```

CommonJS:

```js
// require("babel-cli") failed in our probe on every Node.js version we test (Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`); see the runtime table.
const babelCli = require("babel-cli");
```

## Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (52 versions; the newest 52 shown).

| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0.0 – 6.26.0 | CommonJS | Oct 29, 2015 |

## Frequently asked

**Is babel-cli ESM-only?**

babel-cli@6.26.0 declares a CommonJS entry, but require() fails at runtime. babel-cli declares a CommonJS entry only, but require("babel-cli") failed on every Node.js version in our probe: Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`. import "babel-cli" resolves to the same file, so it fails the same way. That usually means a missing peer dependency, a browser-only global, or a package that is not meant to be loaded directly; see the runtime table below.

**Can I require babel-cli?**

Not in practice. babel-cli declares a CommonJS entry, but require("babel-cli") failed on every Node.js version in our probe: Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`. Check the package README for peer dependencies or setup before relying on it.

**Can I import babel-cli with ES module syntax?**

Yes. import babelCli from "babel-cli" works in Node.js and Bun because they support importing CommonJS modules. Named imports work only when Node.js can statically detect the exports.

**Does babel-cli work in Bun?**

Importing babel-cli failed in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026: error: Use the `babel-core` package not `babel`.

**Does babel-cli ship TypeScript types?**

No. babel-cli ships no type declarations and there is no @types package for it.

## Links

- [babel-cli on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/babel-cli)
- [Source repository](https://github.com/babel/babel/tree/master/packages/babel-cli)
- [HTML version](https://canirequire.com/package/babel-cli/)
- [JSON version](https://canirequire.com/package/babel-cli.json)

---

For scripts and AI agents: any package is at https://canirequire.com/package/<name>/index.md (Markdown) or https://canirequire.com/package/<name>.json (JSON); the site index is https://canirequire.com/llms.txt. Fetch the URL directly; no search needed.