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

Utility to parse a string bytes to bytes and vice-versa

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against bytes@3.1.2. Markdown · JSON

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

bytes ships CommonJS only. require("bytes") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >= 0.8. import "bytes" 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("bytes") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >= 0.8.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import bytes from "bytes"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/bytes
Latest
3.1.2 (Jan 28, 2022)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
3.1.2
TypeScript types
@types/bytes
Node engines
>= 0.8
Weekly downloads
118.1M
License
MIT

Does bytes@3.1.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("bytes")import "bytes"
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 bytes

ES modules (import)

import bytes from "bytes";

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 bytes = require("bytes");

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
0.0.1 – 3.1.2CommonJSJun 11, 2012

Frequently asked

Is bytes ESM-only?

bytes@3.1.2 is a CommonJS package. bytes ships CommonJS only. require("bytes") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >= 0.8. import "bytes" 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 bytes with ES module syntax?

Yes. import bytes from "bytes" 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 bytes work in Bun?

Yes. import "bytes" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does bytes ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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