# Is esrecurse ESM-only? Can you require() it?

> esrecurse@4.3.0 is a CommonJS package. CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version we test.

ECMAScript AST recursive visitor

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against esrecurse@4.3.0.

esrecurse ships CommonJS only. require("esrecurse") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=4.0. import "esrecurse" 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("esrecurse") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=4.0.
2. From ES modules use the default import: import esrecurse from "esrecurse"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/esrecurse

## Facts

- Latest: 4.3.0 (Aug 31, 2020)
- Module format: CommonJS
- Last CommonJS version: 4.3.0
- TypeScript types: @types/esrecurse
- Node engines: >=4.0
- Weekly downloads: 98.8M
- License: BSD-2-Clause

## Runtime test results for esrecurse@4.3.0

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

| Runtime | require("esrecurse") | import "esrecurse" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 esrecurse

ES modules:

```js
import esrecurse from "esrecurse";
```

CommonJS:

```js
const esrecurse = require("esrecurse");
```

## Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (13 versions; the newest 13 shown).

| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 – 4.3.0 | CommonJS | Dec 2, 2014 |

## Frequently asked

**Is esrecurse ESM-only?**

esrecurse@4.3.0 is a CommonJS package. esrecurse ships CommonJS only. require("esrecurse") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=4.0. import "esrecurse" 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 esrecurse with ES module syntax?**

Yes. import esrecurse from "esrecurse" 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 esrecurse work in Bun?**

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

**Does esrecurse ship TypeScript types?**

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

## Links

- [esrecurse on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/esrecurse)
- [Source repository](https://github.com/estools/esrecurse)
- [HTML version](https://canirequire.com/package/esrecurse/)
- [JSON version](https://canirequire.com/package/esrecurse.json)

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