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canirequire › Dual (CommonJS + ESM) › preact

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

Fast 3kb React-compatible Virtual DOM library.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against preact@10.29.8. Markdown · JSON

Dual (CommonJS + ESM) Dual package — require() works on every Node.js version we test; import works too

preact publishes both a CommonJS entry and a native ESM entry (ESM added in 10.3.0). require("preact") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "preact" works alongside it.

What to do

  1. Nothing to change. require("preact") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import * as preact from "preact" works alongside it; use named imports for what the ESM entry exports.
  2. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
10.29.8 (Aug 1, 2026)
Module format
Dual (CommonJS + ESM)
Last CommonJS version
10.29.8
Native ESM since
10.3.0
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
29.2M
License
MIT

Does preact@10.29.8 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("preact")import "preact"
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 preact

ES modules (import)

import * as preact from "preact";

Namespace import shown because the ESM entry may have no default export; use named imports for what it exports.

CommonJS (require)

const preact = require("preact");

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 (235 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
10.17.0 – 10.29.8Dual (CommonJS + ESM)Aug 14, 2023

Frequently asked

Is preact ESM-only?

preact@10.29.8 ships CommonJS and ESM builds. preact publishes both a CommonJS entry and a native ESM entry (ESM added in 10.3.0). require("preact") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "preact" works alongside it.

Can I require preact?

Yes. preact ships a CommonJS entry alongside the native ESM entry. require("preact") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun.

Does preact work in Bun?

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

Does preact ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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