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

Utilities for watching file trees.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against watch@1.0.2. Markdown · JSON

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

watch ships CommonJS only. require("watch") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=0.1.95. import "watch" 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("watch") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=0.1.95.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import watch from "watch"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/watch
Latest
1.0.2 (Feb 17, 2017)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
1.0.2
TypeScript types
@types/watch
Node engines
>=0.1.95
Weekly downloads
629K
License
Apache-2.0

Does watch@1.0.2 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("watch")import "watch"
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 watch

ES modules (import)

import watch from "watch";

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 watch = require("watch");

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 (30 versions; the newest 30 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
0.1.0 – 1.0.2CommonJSJan 3, 2011

Frequently asked

Is watch ESM-only?

watch@1.0.2 is a CommonJS package. watch ships CommonJS only. require("watch") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js >=0.1.95. import "watch" 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 watch with ES module syntax?

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

Yes. import "watch" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4.0 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does watch ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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