canirequire › ESM-only › chokidar
Is chokidar ESM-only? Can you require() it?
Minimal and efficient cross-platform file watching library
Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against chokidar@5.0.0. JSON
ESM-only ESM-only since 5.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 4.0.3
chokidar dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (November 2025). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 4.0.3, published Dec 18, 2024.
On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("chokidar") 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.
chokidar@5.0.0 declares engines ">= 20.19.0", so Node.js 18 is outside its supported range regardless of module format.
Does chokidar@5.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results
Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("chokidar") from a CommonJS file and import "chokidar" from an ES module.
| Runtime | require("chokidar") | import "chokidar" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 chokidar
ES modules (import)
import chokidar from "chokidar";CommonJS (require)
// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const chokidar = require("chokidar");
// Any Node.js version:
const chokidar = await import("chokidar");
// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install chokidar@4.0.3Module format by version
Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (103 versions; the newest 60 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0.0 | ESM-only | Nov 25, 2025 |
| 4.0.0 – 4.0.3 | Dual (CommonJS + ESM) | Sep 13, 2024 |
| 0.12.5 – 3.6.0 | CommonJS | Dec 17, 2014 |
Frequently asked
Is chokidar ESM-only?
chokidar@5.0.0 is ESM-only. chokidar dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (November 2025). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 4.0.3, published Dec 18, 2024.
Which version of chokidar still supports CommonJS / require()?
4.0.3 is the last version of chokidar with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install chokidar@4.0.3". Every version from 5.0.0 on is ESM-only.
How do I use chokidar from a CommonJS file?
Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("chokidar"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("chokidar") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin chokidar@4.0.3.
Does chokidar work in Bun?
Yes. import "chokidar" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does chokidar ship TypeScript types?
Yes. chokidar bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.
Links
Other esm-only packages
- ansi-styles 7.0.0last CJS
5.2.0 - strip-ansi 7.2.0last CJS
6.0.1 - commander 15.0.0last CJS
14.0.3 - supports-color 11.0.0last CJS
8.1.1 - chalk 6.0.0last CJS
4.1.2 - tslib 2.8.1last CJS
2.5.2 - string-width 8.2.2last CJS
4.2.3 - ansi-regex 6.3.0last CJS
5.0.1
Similar popularity
- content-type 3.0.0ESM-only
- @jridgewell/sourcemap-codec 1.6.0Dual
- agent-base 9.0.0ESM-only
- strip-json-comments 5.0.3ESM-only
- mime-types 3.0.2CommonJS
- cookie 2.0.1ESM-only
- negotiator 1.1.0CommonJS
- get-stream 9.0.1ESM-only