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

The tiniest and the fastest library for terminal output formatting with ANSI colors

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against picocolors@1.1.1. Markdown · JSON

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

picocolors ships CommonJS only. require("picocolors") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "picocolors" 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("picocolors") 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 picocolors from "picocolors"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
1.1.1 (Oct 16, 2024)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
1.1.1
Native ESM since
0.0.0
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
202.5M
License
ISC

Does picocolors@1.1.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("picocolors")import "picocolors"
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 picocolors

ES modules (import)

import picocolors from "picocolors";

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 picocolors = require("picocolors");

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 (9 versions; the newest 9 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.2.0 – 1.1.1CommonJSOct 3, 2021
0.1.0Dual (CommonJS + ESM)Sep 27, 2021
0.0.0 – 0.0.1ESM-onlySep 27, 2021

Frequently asked

Is picocolors ESM-only?

picocolors@1.1.1 is a CommonJS package. picocolors ships CommonJS only. require("picocolors") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "picocolors" 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 picocolors with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does picocolors ship TypeScript types?

Yes. picocolors bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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