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canirequire › ESM-only › got

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

Human-friendly and powerful HTTP request library for Node.js

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against got@16.0.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 12.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 11.8.6

got dropped its CommonJS build in 12.0.0 (December 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 11.8.6, published Dec 8, 2022.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("got") 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.

got@16.0.0 declares engines ">=22", so Node.js 18, 20 are outside its supported range regardless of module format.

Latest
16.0.0 (Aug 30, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
11.8.6
ESM-only since
12.0.0 (Dec 10, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=22
Weekly downloads
27.6M
License
MIT

Does got@16.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("got")import "got"
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 got

ES modules (import)

import got from "got";

CommonJS (require)

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

// Any Node.js version:
const got = await import("got");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install got@11.8.6

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (186 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
12.0.0 – 16.0.0ESM-onlyDec 10, 2021
11.6.1 – 11.8.6CommonJSSep 8, 2020

Frequently asked

Is got ESM-only?

got@16.0.0 is ESM-only. got dropped its CommonJS build in 12.0.0 (December 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 11.8.6, published Dec 8, 2022.

Which version of got still supports CommonJS / require()?

11.8.6 is the last version of got with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install got@11.8.6". Every version from 12.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use got from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("got"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("got") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin got@11.8.6.

Does got work in Bun?

Yes. import "got" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does got ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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