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

Light-weight option parsing with an argv hash. No optstrings attached.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against optimist@0.6.1. Markdown · JSON

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

optimist ships CommonJS only. require("optimist") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "optimist" 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("optimist") 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 optimist from "optimist"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/optimist
Latest
0.6.1 (Feb 6, 2014)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
0.6.1
TypeScript types
@types/optimist
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
2.7M
License
MIT/X11

Does optimist@0.6.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("optimist")import "optimist"
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 optimist

ES modules (import)

import optimist from "optimist";

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 optimist = require("optimist");

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 (39 versions; the newest 39 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.0.1 – 0.6.1CommonJSDec 21, 2010

Frequently asked

Is optimist ESM-only?

optimist@0.6.1 is a CommonJS package. optimist ships CommonJS only. require("optimist") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "optimist" 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 optimist with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does optimist ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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