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Is body-parser ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Node.js body parsing middleware

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against body-parser@2.3.0. Markdown · JSON

CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version we test

body-parser ships CommonJS only. require("body-parser") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18. import "body-parser" also works because Node.js and Bun can import CommonJS from ES modules, but only the default export is guaranteed; named imports depend on Node's static analysis of the module.

What to do

  1. require("body-parser") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import bodyParser from "body-parser"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/body-parser
Latest
2.3.0 (Jun 15, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
2.3.0
TypeScript types
@types/body-parser
Node engines
>=18
Weekly downloads
97.1M
License
MIT

Does body-parser@2.3.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("body-parser")import "body-parser"
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 body-parser

ES modules (import)

import bodyParser from "body-parser";

Named imports from a CommonJS package only work when Node.js can statically detect them. If a named import fails, use the default import and destructure.

CommonJS (require)

const bodyParser = require("body-parser");

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 (83 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
1.6.5 – 2.3.0CommonJSAug 17, 2014

Frequently asked

Is body-parser ESM-only?

body-parser@2.3.0 is a CommonJS package. body-parser ships CommonJS only. require("body-parser") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18. import "body-parser" also works because Node.js and Bun can import CommonJS from ES modules, but only the default export is guaranteed; named imports depend on Node's static analysis of the module.

Can I import body-parser with ES module syntax?

Yes. import bodyParser from "body-parser" 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 body-parser work in Bun?

Yes. import "body-parser" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does body-parser ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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