canirequire

canirequire › CommonJS › electron

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

Build cross platform desktop apps with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against electron@44.3.0. Markdown · JSON

CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on Node.js 22, 24 and 26, fails on 18 and 20

electron ships CommonJS only. require("electron") works on Node.js 22, 24 and 26 but fails on Node.js 18 and 20 (ERR_REQUIRE_ESM). The package declares Node.js >= 22.12.0. import "electron" 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("electron") works on Node.js 22, 24 and 26 but fails on Node.js 18 and 20 (ERR_REQUIRE_ESM). The package declares Node.js >= 22.12.0.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import electron from "electron"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
44.3.0 (Sep 8, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
44.3.0
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>= 22.12.0
Weekly downloads
6.0M
License
MIT

Does electron@44.3.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("electron")import "electron"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM
Node.js 20✗ failsTIMEOUT✓ works
Node.js 22✓ works✓ works
Node.js 24✓ works✓ works
Node.js 26✓ works✓ works
Bun 1.4.0✓ 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 electron

ES modules (import)

import electron from "electron";

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 electron = require("electron");

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 (1079 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
41.7.0 – 44.3.0CommonJSMay 19, 2026

Frequently asked

Is electron ESM-only?

electron@44.3.0 is a CommonJS package. electron ships CommonJS only. require("electron") works on Node.js 22, 24 and 26 but fails on Node.js 18 and 20 (ERR_REQUIRE_ESM). The package declares Node.js >= 22.12.0. import "electron" 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 electron with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does electron ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

Similar popularity