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

test framework agnostic BDD-style assertions

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against should@13.2.3. JSON

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

should ships CommonJS only. require("should") works everywhere. import "should" 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.

It also declares a "module" field, so bundlers such as webpack, Vite and esbuild pick up an ESM build for tree-shaking.

Latest
13.2.3 (Jul 30, 2018)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
13.2.3
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
3.3M
License
MIT

Does should@13.2.3 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("should")import "should"
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 should

ES modules (import)

import should from "should";

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 should = require("should");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (113 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
4.4.2 – 13.2.3CommonJSDec 27, 2014

Frequently asked

Is should ESM-only?

should@13.2.3 is a CommonJS package. should ships CommonJS only. require("should") works everywhere. import "should" 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 should with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does should ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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