canirequire › CommonJS › body-parser
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. JSON
CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version
body-parser ships CommonJS only. require("body-parser") works everywhere. 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.
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.
| Runtime | require("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 | ✓ 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 (83 versions; the newest 60 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6.5 – 2.3.0 | CommonJS | Aug 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 everywhere. 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 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does body-parser ship TypeScript types?
Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/body-parser".
Links
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