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Is balanced-match ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Match balanced character pairs, like "{" and "}"

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against balanced-match@4.0.4. Markdown · JSON

Dual (CommonJS + ESM) Dual package — require() works on every Node.js version we test; import works too

balanced-match publishes both a CommonJS entry and a native ESM entry (ESM added in 3.0.0). require("balanced-match") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js 18 || 20 || >=22. import "balanced-match" works alongside it.

What to do

  1. Nothing to change. require("balanced-match") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js 18 || 20 || >=22. import * as balancedMatch from "balanced-match" works alongside it; use named imports for what the ESM entry exports.
  2. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
4.0.4 (Feb 22, 2026)
Module format
Dual (CommonJS + ESM)
Last CommonJS version
4.0.4
Native ESM since
3.0.0
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
18 || 20 || >=22
Weekly downloads
272.7M
License
MIT

Does balanced-match@4.0.4 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("balanced-match")import "balanced-match"
Node.js 18✓ works✓ works
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 balanced-match

ES modules (import)

import * as balancedMatch from "balanced-match";

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

CommonJS (require)

const balancedMatch = require("balanced-match");

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 (18 versions; the newest 18 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
4.0.2 – 4.0.4Dual (CommonJS + ESM)Feb 9, 2026
3.0.0 – 3.0.1ESM-onlyOct 5, 2023
0.0.0 – 2.0.0CommonJSOct 13, 2013

Frequently asked

Is balanced-match ESM-only?

balanced-match@4.0.4 ships CommonJS and ESM builds. balanced-match publishes both a CommonJS entry and a native ESM entry (ESM added in 3.0.0). require("balanced-match") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js 18 || 20 || >=22. import "balanced-match" works alongside it.

Can I require balanced-match?

Yes. balanced-match ships a CommonJS entry alongside the native ESM entry. require("balanced-match") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js 18 || 20 || >=22.

Does balanced-match work in Bun?

Yes. import "balanced-match" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does balanced-match ship TypeScript types?

Yes. balanced-match bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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