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

Native Abstractions for Node.js: C++ header for Node 0.8 -> 26 compatibility

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against nan@2.28.0. Markdown · JSON

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

nan ships CommonJS only. require("nan") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "nan" 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("nan") 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 nan from "nan"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: no types are available for nan; declare the module yourself if you need them.
Latest
2.28.0 (Jun 25, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
2.28.0
TypeScript types
None
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
29.8M
License
MIT

Does nan@2.28.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("nan")import "nan"
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 nan

ES modules (import)

import nan from "nan";

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 nan = require("nan");

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 (98 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
1.9.0 – 2.28.0CommonJSJul 31, 2015

Frequently asked

Is nan ESM-only?

nan@2.28.0 is a CommonJS package. nan ships CommonJS only. require("nan") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "nan" 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 nan with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does nan ship TypeScript types?

No. nan ships no type declarations and there is no @types package for it.

Links

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