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

Like which(1) unix command. Find the first instance of an executable in the PATH.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against which@7.0.0. Markdown · JSON

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

which ships CommonJS only. require("which") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js ^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0. import "which" 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("which") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js ^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0.
  2. From ES modules use the default import: import which from "which"; then destructure. Named imports only work when Node.js can statically detect the exports.
  3. TypeScript: npm install -D @types/which
Latest
7.0.0 (May 8, 2026)
Module format
CommonJS
Last CommonJS version
7.0.0
TypeScript types
@types/which
Node engines
^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0
Weekly downloads
290.2M
License
ISC

Does which@7.0.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("which")import "which"
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 which

ES modules (import)

import which from "which";

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 which = require("which");

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 (37 versions; the newest 37 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
1.0.0 – 7.0.0CommonJSAug 7, 2011

Frequently asked

Is which ESM-only?

which@7.0.0 is a CommonJS package. which ships CommonJS only. require("which") works on every Node.js version we test (18, 20, 22, 24 and 26) and in Bun. The package declares Node.js ^22.22.2 || ^24.15.0 || >=26.0.0. import "which" 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 which with ES module syntax?

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

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

Does which ship TypeScript types?

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

Links

Other commonjs packages

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