canirequire

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. Markdown · JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 13.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 12.11.1

inquirer dropped its CommonJS build in 13.0.0 (November 2025). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 12.11.1, published Nov 12, 2025; it declares support for Node.js >=18.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("inquirer") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26. Node.js 18 has no require(esm), and inquirer@14.2.2 declares Node.js >=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0, so 18 is outside its supported range anyway.

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.

What to do

  1. On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("inquirer") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26.
  2. From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const inquirer = await import("inquirer"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0).
  3. If you need a synchronous require() or run Node.js 18: npm install inquirer@12.11.1, the last CommonJS release (published Nov 12, 2025); it declares Node.js >=18.
  4. inquirer@14.2.2 declares engines ">=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0", so Node.js 18 is unsupported regardless: upgrade Node.js or pin an older release.
  5. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
14.2.2 (Sep 7, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
12.11.1
ESM-only since
13.0.0 (Nov 16, 2025)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0
Weekly downloads
32.9M
License
MIT

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.

Runtimerequire("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 1.4.0✓ works✓ works

How to import inquirer

ES modules (import)

import * as inquirer from "inquirer";

Namespace import shown because the ESM entry may have no default export; use named imports for what it exports.

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer (verified):
const inquirer = require("inquirer");

// Any Node.js version the package supports (>=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0), from an async function:
async function main() {
  const inquirer = await import("inquirer");
}

// Or pin the last CommonJS release (declares Node.js >=18):
// npm install inquirer@12.11.1

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm, corrected where a runtime test of that version contradicted them (240 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
13.0.0 – 14.2.2ESM-onlyNov 16, 2025
11.0.1 – 12.11.1Dual (CommonJS + ESM)Sep 16, 2024

Frequently asked

Is inquirer ESM-only?

inquirer@14.2.2 is ESM-only. inquirer dropped its CommonJS build in 13.0.0 (November 2025). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 12.11.1, published Nov 12, 2025; it declares support for Node.js >=18.

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

12.11.1 is the last version of inquirer with a CommonJS build; it declares Node.js >=18. Install it with "npm install inquirer@12.11.1". Every version from 13.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use inquirer from a CommonJS file?

From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const inquirer = await import("inquirer"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=23.5.0 || ^22.13.0 || ^20.17.0). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("inquirer") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26. Alternatively pin inquirer@12.11.1 (declares Node.js >=18).

Does inquirer work in Bun?

Yes. import "inquirer" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 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

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