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

Strip UTF-8 byte order mark (BOM) from a string

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against strip-bom@5.0.0. Markdown · JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 5.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 4.0.0

strip-bom dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 4.0.0, published Apr 28, 2019; it declares support for Node.js >=8.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-bom") 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-bom") fails with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

What to do

  1. On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-bom") 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 stripBom = await import("strip-bom"). 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-bom@4.0.0, the last CommonJS release (published Apr 28, 2019); it declares Node.js >=8.
  4. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/strip-bom
Latest
5.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
4.0.0
ESM-only since
5.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
TypeScript types
@types/strip-bom
Node engines
>=12
Weekly downloads
136.6M
License
MIT

Does strip-bom@5.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("strip-bom")import "strip-bom"
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-bom

ES modules (import)

import * as stripBom from "strip-bom";

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 stripBom = require("strip-bom");

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

// Or pin the last CommonJS release (declares Node.js >=8):
// npm install strip-bom@4.0.0

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 (10 versions; the newest 10 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
5.0.0ESM-onlyApr 16, 2021
0.1.0 – 4.0.0CommonJSApr 4, 2014

Frequently asked

Is strip-bom ESM-only?

strip-bom@5.0.0 is ESM-only. strip-bom dropped its CommonJS build in 5.0.0 (April 2021). The last version with a plain require()-able CommonJS entry is 4.0.0, published Apr 28, 2019; it declares support for Node.js >=8.

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

4.0.0 is the last version of strip-bom with a CommonJS build; it declares Node.js >=8. Install it with "npm install strip-bom@4.0.0". Every version from 5.0.0 on is ESM-only.

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

From a CommonJS file, use a dynamic import inside an async function: const stripBom = await import("strip-bom"). That works on every Node.js version the package supports (>=12). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, require("strip-bom") 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-bom@4.0.0 (declares Node.js >=8).

Does strip-bom work in Bun?

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

Does strip-bom ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other esm-only packages

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