canirequire

canirequire › ESM-only › file-type

Is file-type ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Detect the file type of a file, stream, or data

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against file-type@22.0.2. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 17.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 16.5.4

file-type dropped its CommonJS build in 17.0.0 (November 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 16.5.4, published Jul 21, 2022.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("file-type") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

file-type@22.0.2 declares engines ">=22", so Node.js 18, 20 are outside its supported range regardless of module format.

Latest
22.0.2 (Aug 15, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
16.5.4
ESM-only since
17.0.0 (Nov 24, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=22
Weekly downloads
40.4M
License
MIT

Does file-type@22.0.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("file-type")import "file-type"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✗ failsSyntaxError
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 file-type

ES modules (import)

import fileType from "file-type";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const fileType = require("file-type");

// Any Node.js version:
const fileType = await import("file-type");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install file-type@16.5.4

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (170 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
17.0.0 – 22.0.2ESM-onlyNov 24, 2021
15.0.1 – 16.5.4CommonJSSep 14, 2020

Frequently asked

Is file-type ESM-only?

file-type@22.0.2 is ESM-only. file-type dropped its CommonJS build in 17.0.0 (November 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 16.5.4, published Jul 21, 2022.

Which version of file-type still supports CommonJS / require()?

16.5.4 is the last version of file-type with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install file-type@16.5.4". Every version from 17.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use file-type from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("file-type"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("file-type") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin file-type@16.5.4.

Does file-type work in Bun?

Yes. import "file-type" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does file-type ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other esm-only packages

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