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

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Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against minimist@1.2.8. Markdown · JSON

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

minimist ships CommonJS only. require("minimist") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "minimist" 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.

What to do

  1. require("minimist") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import minimist from "minimist"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/minimist
Latest
1.2.8 (Feb 9, 2023)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
1.2.8
TypeScript types
@types/minimist
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
140.7M
License
MIT

Does minimist@1.2.8 actually load? Runtime test results

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

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

How to import minimist

ES modules (import)

import minimist from "minimist";

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 minimist = require("minimist");

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 (31 versions; the newest 31 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.0.0 – 1.2.8CommonJSJun 25, 2013

Frequently asked

Is minimist ESM-only?

minimist@1.2.8 is a CommonJS package. minimist ships CommonJS only. require("minimist") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "minimist" 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 minimist with ES module syntax?

Yes. import minimist from "minimist" 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 minimist work in Bun?

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

Does minimist ship TypeScript types?

Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/minimist".

Links

Other commonjs packages

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