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

Configuration control for production node deployments

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against config@5.0.1. JSON

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

config ships CommonJS only. require("config") works everywhere. import "config" 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.

It also declares a "module" field, so bundlers such as webpack, Vite and esbuild pick up an ESM build for tree-shaking.

Latest
5.0.1 (Aug 18, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
5.0.1
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>= 20.11.0
Weekly downloads
1.5M
License
MIT

Does config@5.0.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("config")import "config"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM
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

A failing require() on a CommonJS package usually means the package needs a browser/DOM global, a peer dependency, or a native binary that is not available in a bare Node.js process.

How to import config

ES modules (import)

import config from "config";

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 config = require("config");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (130 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
1.19.0 – 5.0.1CommonJSJan 12, 2016

Frequently asked

Is config ESM-only?

config@5.0.1 is a CommonJS package. config ships CommonJS only. require("config") works everywhere. import "config" 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 config with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does config ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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