canirequire

canirequire › CommonJS › ts-node

Is ts-node ESM-only? Can you require() it?

TypeScript execution environment and REPL for node.js, with source map support

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against ts-node@10.9.2. Markdown · JSON

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

ts-node ships CommonJS only. require("ts-node") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "ts-node" 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.

What to do

  1. require("ts-node") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import tsNode from "ts-node"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: types are bundled; install nothing extra.
Latest
10.9.2 (Dec 8, 2023)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
10.9.2
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
not declared
Weekly downloads
42.2M
License
MIT

Does ts-node@10.9.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("ts-node")import "ts-node"
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 1.4.0✓ works✓ works

How to import ts-node

ES modules (import)

import tsNode from "ts-node";

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 tsNode = require("ts-node");

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 (127 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
4.1.0 – 10.9.2CommonJSDec 23, 2017

Frequently asked

Is ts-node ESM-only?

ts-node@10.9.2 is a CommonJS package. ts-node ships CommonJS only. require("ts-node") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. import "ts-node" 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 ts-node with ES module syntax?

Yes. import tsNode from "ts-node" 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 ts-node work in Bun?

Yes. import "ts-node" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does ts-node ship TypeScript types?

Yes. ts-node bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

Other commonjs packages

Similar popularity