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

An extremely fast JavaScript and CSS bundler and minifier.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against esbuild@0.28.2. Markdown · JSON

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

esbuild ships CommonJS only. require("esbuild") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18. import "esbuild" 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("esbuild") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import esbuild from "esbuild"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
0.28.2 (Aug 8, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
0.28.2
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=18
Weekly downloads
242.4M
License
MIT

Does esbuild@0.28.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("esbuild")import "esbuild"
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 1.4.0✓ works✓ works

How to import esbuild

ES modules (import)

import esbuild from "esbuild";

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 esbuild = require("esbuild");

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 (482 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.18.13 – 0.28.2CommonJSJul 15, 2023

Frequently asked

Is esbuild ESM-only?

esbuild@0.28.2 is a CommonJS package. esbuild ships CommonJS only. require("esbuild") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=18. import "esbuild" 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 esbuild with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does esbuild ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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