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Is cli-spinners ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Spinners for use in the terminal

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against cli-spinners@3.4.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 3.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 2.9.2

cli-spinners dropped its CommonJS build in 3.0.0 (April 2024). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.9.2, published Nov 24, 2023.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("cli-spinners") 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
3.4.0 (Jan 13, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
2.9.2
ESM-only since
3.0.0 (Apr 30, 2024)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=18.20
Weekly downloads
40.3M
License
MIT

Does cli-spinners@3.4.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("cli-spinners")import "cli-spinners"
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 cli-spinners

ES modules (import)

import cliSpinners from "cli-spinners";

CommonJS (require)

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

// Any Node.js version:
const cliSpinners = await import("cli-spinners");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install cli-spinners@2.9.2

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (30 versions; the newest 30 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
3.0.0 – 3.4.0ESM-onlyApr 30, 2024
0.1.0 – 2.9.2CommonJSMar 3, 2016

Frequently asked

Is cli-spinners ESM-only?

cli-spinners@3.4.0 is ESM-only. cli-spinners dropped its CommonJS build in 3.0.0 (April 2024). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.9.2, published Nov 24, 2023.

Which version of cli-spinners still supports CommonJS / require()?

2.9.2 is the last version of cli-spinners with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install cli-spinners@2.9.2". Every version from 3.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use cli-spinners from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("cli-spinners"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("cli-spinners") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin cli-spinners@2.9.2.

Does cli-spinners work in Bun?

Yes. import "cli-spinners" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does cli-spinners ship TypeScript types?

Yes. cli-spinners bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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