canirequire › CommonJS › react
Is react ESM-only? Can you require() it?
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against react@19.2.8. JSON
CommonJS CommonJS — require() works on every Node.js version
react ships CommonJS only. require("react") works everywhere. import "react" 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.
Does react@19.2.8 actually load? Runtime test results
Installed and executed on Sep 9, 2026 with require("react") from a CommonJS file and import "react" from an ES module.
| Runtime | require("react") | import "react" |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ works | ✓ works |
How to import react
ES modules (import)
import react from "react";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 react = require("react");Module format by version
Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (138 versions; the newest 60 shown).
| Versions | Format | First published |
|---|---|---|
| 16.5.0 – 19.2.8 | CommonJS | Sep 6, 2018 |
Frequently asked
Is react ESM-only?
react@19.2.8 is a CommonJS package. react ships CommonJS only. require("react") works everywhere. import "react" 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 react with ES module syntax?
Yes. import react from "react" 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 react work in Bun?
Yes. import "react" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.
Does react ship TypeScript types?
Not bundled. Install the community types with "npm install -D @types/react".
Links
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