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

> babel-runtime@6.26.0 has no importable main entry. No JavaScript entry point.

babel selfContained runtime

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

babel-runtime does not expose a JavaScript entry point in package.json. It is likely a CLI, a stylesheet, a type-definition package, or an asset bundle, so require() and import are not the way to use it.

## What to do

1. Do not require() or import babel-runtime: it has no JavaScript entry point. Use it as a CLI (npx babel-runtime), a stylesheet, an asset, or a type-definition package as its README describes.
2. TypeScript: no types are available for babel-runtime; declare the module yourself if you need them.

## Facts

- Latest: 6.26.0 (Aug 16, 2017)
- Module format: No JS entry point
- Last CommonJS version: n/a
- TypeScript types: none
- Node engines: not declared
- Weekly downloads: 6.4M
- License: MIT

## Runtime test results for babel-runtime@6.26.0

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

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

## How to import babel-runtime

ES modules:

```js
import * as babelRuntime from "babel-runtime";
```

## Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (166 versions; the newest 60 shown).

| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5.8 – 6.26.0 | No JS entry point | Jun 13, 2015 |

## Frequently asked

**Is babel-runtime ESM-only?**

babel-runtime@6.26.0 has no importable main entry. babel-runtime does not expose a JavaScript entry point in package.json. It is likely a CLI, a stylesheet, a type-definition package, or an asset bundle, so require() and import are not the way to use it.

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

Importing babel-runtime failed in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026: error: Cannot find package 'babel-runtime' from '/Users/boat/Projects/top-seo/data/probe-work/babel-runtime/imp.mjs'

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

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

## Links

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