canirequire

canirequire › ESM-only › lit-element

Is lit-element ESM-only? Can you require() it?

A simple base class for creating fast, lightweight web components

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against lit-element@4.2.2. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 2.4.0 — last CommonJS version is 2.3.1

lit-element dropped its CommonJS build in 2.4.0 (August 2020). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.3.1, published Mar 20, 2020.

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

Latest
4.2.2 (Dec 23, 2025)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
2.3.1
ESM-only since
2.4.0 (Aug 19, 2020)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
5.8M
License
BSD-3-Clause

Does lit-element@4.2.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("lit-element")import "lit-element"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✓ 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 lit-element

ES modules (import)

import litElement from "lit-element";

CommonJS (require)

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

// Any Node.js version:
const litElement = await import("lit-element");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install lit-element@2.3.1

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (58 versions; the newest 58 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
2.4.0 – 4.2.2ESM-onlyAug 19, 2020
0.1.0 – 2.3.1CommonJSSep 8, 2017

Frequently asked

Is lit-element ESM-only?

lit-element@4.2.2 is ESM-only. lit-element dropped its CommonJS build in 2.4.0 (August 2020). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.3.1, published Mar 20, 2020.

Which version of lit-element still supports CommonJS / require()?

2.3.1 is the last version of lit-element with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install lit-element@2.3.1". Every version from 2.4.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use lit-element from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("lit-element"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("lit-element") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin lit-element@2.3.1.

Does lit-element work in Bun?

Yes. import "lit-element" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does lit-element ship TypeScript types?

Yes. lit-element bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

Other esm-only packages

Similar popularity