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Is http-server ESM-only? Can you require() it?

A simple zero-configuration command-line http server

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against http-server@14.1.1. JSON

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

http-server ships CommonJS only. require("http-server") works everywhere. import "http-server" 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.

Latest
14.1.1 (May 31, 2022)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
14.1.1
TypeScript types
@types/http-server
Node engines
>=12
Weekly downloads
6.4M
License
MIT

Does http-server@14.1.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("http-server")import "http-server"
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 http-server

ES modules (import)

import httpServer from "http-server";

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 httpServer = require("http-server");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (49 versions; the newest 49 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.1.0 – 14.1.1CommonJSJun 17, 2011

Frequently asked

Is http-server ESM-only?

http-server@14.1.1 is a CommonJS package. http-server ships CommonJS only. require("http-server") works everywhere. import "http-server" 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 http-server with ES module syntax?

Yes. import httpServer from "http-server" 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 http-server work in Bun?

Yes. import "http-server" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does http-server ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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