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

Super-fast alternative to Babel for when you can target modern JS runtimes

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against sucrase@3.35.1. JSON

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

sucrase ships CommonJS only. require("sucrase") works everywhere. import "sucrase" 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
3.35.1 (Nov 19, 2025)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
3.35.1
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=16 || 14 >=14.17
Weekly downloads
42.3M
License
MIT

Does sucrase@3.35.1 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("sucrase")import "sucrase"
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 sucrase

ES modules (import)

import sucrase from "sucrase";

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 sucrase = require("sucrase");

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (83 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
2.2.0 – 3.35.1CommonJSMay 20, 2018

Frequently asked

Is sucrase ESM-only?

sucrase@3.35.1 is a CommonJS package. sucrase ships CommonJS only. require("sucrase") works everywhere. import "sucrase" 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 sucrase with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does sucrase ship TypeScript types?

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

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