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Is supports-color ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Detect whether a terminal supports color

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against supports-color@11.0.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 9.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 8.1.1

supports-color dropped its CommonJS build in 9.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 8.1.1, published Jan 23, 2021.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("supports-color") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

supports-color@11.0.0 declares engines ">=22", so Node.js 18, 20 are outside its supported range regardless of module format.

Latest
11.0.0 (Jul 26, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
8.1.1
ESM-only since
9.0.0 (Apr 16, 2021)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
>=22
Weekly downloads
441.6M
License
MIT

Does supports-color@11.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("supports-color")import "supports-color"
Node.js 18✗ failsERR_REQUIRE_ESM✗ failsSyntaxError
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 supports-color

ES modules (import)

import supportsColor from "supports-color";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const supportsColor = require("supports-color");

// Any Node.js version:
const supportsColor = await import("supports-color");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install supports-color@8.1.1

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (55 versions; the newest 55 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
9.0.0 – 11.0.0ESM-onlyApr 16, 2021
0.2.0 – 8.1.1CommonJSJun 14, 2014

Frequently asked

Is supports-color ESM-only?

supports-color@11.0.0 is ESM-only. supports-color dropped its CommonJS build in 9.0.0 (April 2021). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 8.1.1, published Jan 23, 2021.

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

8.1.1 is the last version of supports-color with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install supports-color@8.1.1". Every version from 9.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use supports-color from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("supports-color"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("supports-color") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin supports-color@8.1.1.

Does supports-color work in Bun?

Yes. import "supports-color" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does supports-color ship TypeScript types?

Yes. supports-color bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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