canirequire › CommonJS › esm
Is esm ESM-only? Can you require() it?
Tomorrow's ECMAScript modules today!
Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against esm@3.2.25. JSON
CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version
esm ships CommonJS only. require("esm") works everywhere. import "esm" 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.
Does esm@3.2.25 actually load? Runtime test results
Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("esm") from a CommonJS file and import "esm" from an ES module.
| Runtime | require("esm") | import "esm" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 esm
ES modules (import)
import esm from "esm";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 esm = require("esm");Module format by version
Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (140 versions; the newest 60 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0.56 – 3.2.25 | CommonJS | Jun 30, 2018 |
Frequently asked
Is esm ESM-only?
esm@3.2.25 is a CommonJS package. esm ships CommonJS only. require("esm") works everywhere. import "esm" 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 esm with ES module syntax?
Yes. import esm from "esm" 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 esm work in Bun?
Yes. import "esm" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does esm ship TypeScript types?
Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/esm".
Links
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