canirequire › CommonJS › braces
Is braces ESM-only? Can you require() it?
Bash-like brace expansion, implemented in JavaScript. Safer than other brace expansion libs, with complete support for the Bash 4.3 braces specification, without sacrificing speed.
Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against braces@3.0.3. JSON
CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version
braces ships CommonJS only. require("braces") works everywhere. import "braces" 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 braces@3.0.3 actually load? Runtime test results
Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("braces") from a CommonJS file and import "braces" from an ES module.
| Runtime | require("braces") | import "braces" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 braces
ES modules (import)
import braces from "braces";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 braces = require("braces");Module format by version
Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (37 versions; the newest 37 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1.0 – 3.0.3 | CommonJS | Oct 20, 2014 |
Frequently asked
Is braces ESM-only?
braces@3.0.3 is a CommonJS package. braces ships CommonJS only. require("braces") works everywhere. import "braces" 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 braces with ES module syntax?
Yes. import braces from "braces" 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 braces work in Bun?
Yes. import "braces" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does braces ship TypeScript types?
Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/braces".
Links
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