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

The semantic version parser used by npm.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against semver@7.8.5. JSON

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

semver ships CommonJS only. require("semver") works everywhere. import "semver" 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
7.8.5 (Jun 19, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
7.8.5
TypeScript types
@types/semver
Node engines
>=10
Weekly downloads
592.8M
License
ISC

Does semver@7.8.5 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("semver")import "semver"
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 semver

ES modules (import)

import semver from "semver";

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 semver = require("semver");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (117 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
5.0.3 – 7.8.5CommonJSSep 11, 2015

Frequently asked

Is semver ESM-only?

semver@7.8.5 is a CommonJS package. semver ships CommonJS only. require("semver") works everywhere. import "semver" 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 semver with ES module syntax?

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

Yes. import "semver" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does semver ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

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