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Is iconv-lite ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Convert character encodings in pure javascript.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against iconv-lite@0.7.3. JSON

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

iconv-lite ships CommonJS only. require("iconv-lite") works everywhere. import "iconv-lite" 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
0.7.3 (Jul 3, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
0.7.3
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=0.10.0
Weekly downloads
257.6M
License
MIT

Does iconv-lite@0.7.3 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("iconv-lite")import "iconv-lite"
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 iconv-lite

ES modules (import)

import iconvLite from "iconv-lite";

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 iconvLite = require("iconv-lite");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (52 versions; the newest 52 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.1.0 – 0.7.3CommonJSNov 9, 2011

Frequently asked

Is iconv-lite ESM-only?

iconv-lite@0.7.3 is a CommonJS package. iconv-lite ships CommonJS only. require("iconv-lite") works everywhere. import "iconv-lite" 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 iconv-lite with ES module syntax?

Yes. import iconvLite from "iconv-lite" 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 iconv-lite work in Bun?

Yes. import "iconv-lite" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does iconv-lite ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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