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

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Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against esm@3.2.25. Markdown · JSON

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

esm ships CommonJS only. require("esm") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=6. 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.

What to do

  1. require("esm") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=6.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import esm from "esm"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/esm
Latest
3.2.25 (May 17, 2019)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
3.2.25
TypeScript types
@types/esm
Node engines
>=6
Weekly downloads
6.2M
License
MIT

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.

Runtimerequire("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 1.4.0✓ 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, corrected where a runtime test of that version contradicted them (140 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
3.0.56 – 3.2.25CommonJSJun 30, 2018

Frequently asked

Is esm ESM-only?

esm@3.2.25 is a CommonJS package. esm ships CommonJS only. require("esm") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=6. 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 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does esm ship TypeScript types?

Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/esm".

Links

Other commonjs packages

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