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Is boxen ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Create boxes in the terminal

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against boxen@8.0.1. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 6.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 5.1.2

boxen dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (September 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.1.2, published Sep 17, 2021.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("boxen") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 20, 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

Latest
8.0.1 (Aug 5, 2024)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
5.1.2
ESM-only since
6.0.0 (Sep 30, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=18
Weekly downloads
20.2M
License
MIT

Does boxen@8.0.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("boxen")import "boxen"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✓ 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 boxen

ES modules (import)

import boxen from "boxen";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const boxen = require("boxen");

// Any Node.js version:
const boxen = await import("boxen");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install boxen@5.1.2

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (41 versions; the newest 41 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
6.0.0 – 8.0.1ESM-onlySep 30, 2021
0.1.0 – 5.1.2CommonJSDec 21, 2015

Frequently asked

Is boxen ESM-only?

boxen@8.0.1 is ESM-only. boxen dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (September 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.1.2, published Sep 17, 2021.

Which version of boxen still supports CommonJS / require()?

5.1.2 is the last version of boxen with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install boxen@5.1.2". Every version from 6.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use boxen from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("boxen"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("boxen") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin boxen@5.1.2.

Does boxen work in Bun?

Yes. import "boxen" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does boxen ship TypeScript types?

Yes. boxen bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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