canirequire

canirequire › ESM-only › node-fetch

Is node-fetch ESM-only? Can you require() it?

A light-weight module that brings Fetch API to node.js

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against node-fetch@3.3.2. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 3.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 2.7.0

node-fetch dropped its CommonJS build in 3.0.0 (August 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.7.0, published Aug 23, 2023.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("node-fetch") 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
3.3.2 (Jul 25, 2023)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
2.7.0
ESM-only since
3.0.0 (Aug 31, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
^12.20.0 || ^14.13.1 || >=16.0.0
Weekly downloads
172.9M
License
MIT

Does node-fetch@3.3.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("node-fetch")import "node-fetch"
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 node-fetch

ES modules (import)

import nodeFetch from "node-fetch";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const nodeFetch = require("node-fetch");

// Any Node.js version:
const nodeFetch = await import("node-fetch");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install node-fetch@2.7.0

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (73 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
3.0.0 – 3.3.2ESM-onlyAug 31, 2021
1.3.0 – 2.7.0CommonJSJun 4, 2015

Frequently asked

Is node-fetch ESM-only?

node-fetch@3.3.2 is ESM-only. node-fetch dropped its CommonJS build in 3.0.0 (August 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 2.7.0, published Aug 23, 2023.

Which version of node-fetch still supports CommonJS / require()?

2.7.0 is the last version of node-fetch with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install node-fetch@2.7.0". Every version from 3.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use node-fetch from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("node-fetch"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("node-fetch") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin node-fetch@2.7.0.

Does node-fetch work in Bun?

Yes. import "node-fetch" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does node-fetch ship TypeScript types?

Yes. node-fetch bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

Other esm-only packages

Similar popularity