canirequire

canirequire › CommonJS › opn

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

Open stuff like URLs, files, executables. Cross-platform.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against opn@6.0.0. Markdown · JSON

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

opn ships CommonJS only. require("opn") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=8. import "opn" 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("opn") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=8.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import opn from "opn"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/opn
  4. This package is deprecated: The package has been renamed to `open`
Latest
6.0.0 (Mar 26, 2019)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
6.0.0
TypeScript types
@types/opn
Node engines
>=8
Weekly downloads
3.7M
License
MIT

Deprecated: The package has been renamed to `open`

Does opn@6.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("opn")import "opn"
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 opn

ES modules (import)

import opn from "opn";

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 opn = require("opn");

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 (22 versions; the newest 22 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.1.0 – 6.0.0CommonJSApr 5, 2014

Frequently asked

Is opn ESM-only?

opn@6.0.0 is a CommonJS package. opn ships CommonJS only. require("opn") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=8. import "opn" 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 opn with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does opn ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

Similar popularity