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

Loads environment variables from .env file

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against dotenv@17.4.2. JSON

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

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

Latest
17.4.2 (Apr 12, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
17.4.2
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=12
Weekly downloads
158.4M
License
BSD-2-Clause

Does dotenv@17.4.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("dotenv")import "dotenv"
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 dotenv

ES modules (import)

import dotenv from "dotenv";

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 dotenv = require("dotenv");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (100 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
8.6.0 – 17.4.2CommonJSMay 5, 2021

Frequently asked

Is dotenv ESM-only?

dotenv@17.4.2 is a CommonJS package. dotenv ships CommonJS only. require("dotenv") works everywhere. import "dotenv" 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 dotenv with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does dotenv ship TypeScript types?

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

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