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Is safe-buffer ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Safer Node.js Buffer API

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against safe-buffer@5.2.1. JSON

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

safe-buffer ships CommonJS only. require("safe-buffer") works everywhere. import "safe-buffer" 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.

Latest
5.2.1 (May 10, 2020)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
5.2.1
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
275.9M
License
MIT

Does safe-buffer@5.2.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("safe-buffer")import "safe-buffer"
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 safe-buffer

ES modules (import)

import safeBuffer from "safe-buffer";

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 safeBuffer = require("safe-buffer");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (11 versions; the newest 11 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
1.0.0 – 5.2.1CommonJSJan 13, 2016

Frequently asked

Is safe-buffer ESM-only?

safe-buffer@5.2.1 is a CommonJS package. safe-buffer ships CommonJS only. require("safe-buffer") works everywhere. import "safe-buffer" 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 safe-buffer with ES module syntax?

Yes. import safeBuffer from "safe-buffer" 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 safe-buffer work in Bun?

Yes. import "safe-buffer" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does safe-buffer ship TypeScript types?

Yes. safe-buffer bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

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