canirequire

canirequire › ESM-only › strip-ansi

Is strip-ansi ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Strip ANSI escape codes from a string

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against strip-ansi@7.2.0. Markdown · JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 7.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 6.0.1

strip-ansi dropped its CommonJS build in 7.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 6.0.1, published Sep 23, 2021; it declares support for Node.js >=8.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-ansi") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26. On Node.js 18, which has no require(esm), require("strip-ansi") fails with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

What to do

  1. On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-ansi") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26.
  2. From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const stripAnsi = await import("strip-ansi"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=12).
  3. If you need a synchronous require() or run Node.js 18: npm install strip-ansi@6.0.1, the last CommonJS release (published Sep 23, 2021); it declares Node.js >=8.
  4. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
7.2.0 (Feb 26, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
6.0.1
ESM-only since
7.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=12
Weekly downloads
464.5M
License
MIT

Does strip-ansi@7.2.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("strip-ansi")import "strip-ansi"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✓ 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 strip-ansi

ES modules (import)

import * as stripAnsi from "strip-ansi";

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

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer (verified):
const stripAnsi = require("strip-ansi");

// Any Node.js version the package supports (>=12), from an async function:
async function main() {
  const stripAnsi = await import("strip-ansi");
}

// Or pin the last CommonJS release (declares Node.js >=8):
// npm install strip-ansi@6.0.1

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 (22 versions; the newest 22 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
7.0.0 – 7.2.0ESM-onlyApr 16, 2021
0.1.0 – 6.0.1CommonJSDec 7, 2013

Frequently asked

Is strip-ansi ESM-only?

strip-ansi@7.2.0 is ESM-only. strip-ansi dropped its CommonJS build in 7.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 6.0.1, published Sep 23, 2021; it declares support for Node.js >=8.

Which version of strip-ansi still supports CommonJS / require()?

6.0.1 is the last version of strip-ansi with a CommonJS build; it declares Node.js >=8. Install it with "npm install strip-ansi@6.0.1". Every version from 7.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use strip-ansi from a CommonJS file?

From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const stripAnsi = await import("strip-ansi"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=12). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-ansi") works with the latest version: Node.js loads synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node.js 20, 22, 24 and 26. Alternatively pin strip-ansi@6.0.1 (declares Node.js >=8).

Does strip-ansi work in Bun?

Yes. import "strip-ansi" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does strip-ansi ship TypeScript types?

Yes. strip-ansi bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

Other esm-only packages

Similar popularity