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

A library for building fast, lightweight web components

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against lit@3.3.3. Markdown · JSON

ESM-only ESM-only — it has never shipped a CommonJS build

lit has been ESM-only since its first stable release; there is no CommonJS version to pin.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("lit") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26. On Node.js 18, which has no require(esm), require("lit") fails with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

What to do

  1. On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("lit") 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 lit = await import("lit"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports.
  3. There is no CommonJS release of lit to pin; without require(esm) the only option is a dynamic import().
  4. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
3.3.3 (May 14, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
none
ESM-only since
2.0.0 (Sep 21, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
6.3M
License
BSD-3-Clause

Does lit@3.3.3 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("lit")import "lit"
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 1.4.0✓ works✓ works

How to import lit

ES modules (import)

import * as lit from "lit";

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 lit = require("lit");

// Any Node.js version the package supports, from an async function:
async function main() {
  const lit = await import("lit");
}

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 (48 versions; the newest 48 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
2.0.0 – 3.3.3ESM-onlySep 21, 2021
1.0.0 – 1.0.1No JS entry pointJul 4, 2012

Frequently asked

Is lit ESM-only?

lit@3.3.3 is ESM-only. lit has been ESM-only since its first stable release; there is no CommonJS version to pin.

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

None. lit has always been ESM-only. Use import, or a dynamic import("lit") from an async function in CommonJS.

How do I use lit from a CommonJS file?

From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const lit = await import("lit"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports. On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("lit") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26.

Does lit work in Bun?

Yes. import "lit" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does lit ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other esm-only packages

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