canirequire › ESM-only › inquirer
Is inquirer ESM-only? Can you require() it?
A collection of common interactive command line user interfaces.
Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against inquirer@14.2.2. JSON
ESM-only ESM-only since 14.1.0 — last CommonJS version is 12.11.1
inquirer dropped its CommonJS build in 14.1.0 (August 2026). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 12.11.1, published Nov 12, 2025.
On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("inquirer") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 20, 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.
inquirer@14.2.2 declares engines ">=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0", so Node.js 18 is outside its supported range regardless of module format.
Does inquirer@14.2.2 actually load? Runtime test results
Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("inquirer") from a CommonJS file and import "inquirer" from an ES module.
| Runtime | require("inquirer") | import "inquirer" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 inquirer
ES modules (import)
import inquirer from "inquirer";CommonJS (require)
// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const inquirer = require("inquirer");
// Any Node.js version:
const inquirer = await import("inquirer");
// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install inquirer@12.11.1Module format by version
Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (240 versions; the newest 60 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 14.1.0 – 14.2.2 | ESM-only | Aug 19, 2026 |
| 13.0.0 – 14.0.2 | No JS entry point | Nov 16, 2025 |
| 11.0.1 – 12.11.1 | Dual (CommonJS + ESM) | Sep 16, 2024 |
Frequently asked
Is inquirer ESM-only?
inquirer@14.2.2 is ESM-only. inquirer dropped its CommonJS build in 14.1.0 (August 2026). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 12.11.1, published Nov 12, 2025.
Which version of inquirer still supports CommonJS / require()?
12.11.1 is the last version of inquirer with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install inquirer@12.11.1". Every version from 14.1.0 on is ESM-only.
How do I use inquirer from a CommonJS file?
Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("inquirer"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("inquirer") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin inquirer@12.11.1.
Does inquirer work in Bun?
Yes. import "inquirer" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does inquirer ship TypeScript types?
Yes. inquirer bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.
Links
Other esm-only packages
- ansi-styles 7.0.0last CJS
5.2.0 - strip-ansi 7.2.0last CJS
6.0.1 - commander 15.0.0last CJS
14.0.3 - supports-color 11.0.0last CJS
8.1.1 - chalk 6.0.0last CJS
4.1.2 - tslib 2.8.1last CJS
2.5.2 - string-width 8.2.2last CJS
4.2.3 - ansi-regex 6.3.0last CJS
5.0.1
Similar popularity
- pluralize 8.0.0CommonJS
- camelcase-css 2.0.1CommonJS
- postcss-js 5.1.0Dual
- cross-fetch 4.1.0CommonJS
- react-redux 9.3.0Dual
- normalize-url 9.0.1ESM-only
- jest-cli 30.5.1Dual
- husky 9.1.7ESM-only