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Is yeoman-generator ESM-only? Can you require() it?

Rails-inspired generator system that provides scaffolding for your apps

Last verified Sep 9, 2026 against yeoman-generator@8.4.0. JSON

ESM-only ESM-only since 6.0.0 — last CommonJS version is 5.10.0

yeoman-generator dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (October 2023). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.10.0, published Oct 21, 2023.

On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and every newer release, require("yeoman-generator") works anyway: Node can load synchronous ES modules through require(). Verified on Node 20, 22, 24, 26. Node.js 18 and older still fail with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

yeoman-generator@8.4.0 declares engines "^20.17.0 || >=22.9.0", so Node.js 18 is outside its supported range regardless of module format.

Latest
8.4.0 (Sep 7, 2026)
Module format
ESM-only
Last CommonJS version
5.10.0
ESM-only since
6.0.0 (Oct 11, 2023)
TypeScript types
Bundled
Node engines
^20.17.0 || >=22.9.0
Weekly downloads
1.2M
License
BSD-2-Clause

Does yeoman-generator@8.4.0 actually load? Runtime test results

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

Runtimerequire("yeoman-generator")import "yeoman-generator"
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 yeoman-generator

ES modules (import)

import yeomanGenerator from "yeoman-generator";

CommonJS (require)

// Node.js 20.19+ / 22.12+ / newer (package has no top-level await):
const yeomanGenerator = require("yeoman-generator");

// Any Node.js version:
const yeomanGenerator = await import("yeoman-generator");

// Or pin the last CommonJS release:
// npm install yeoman-generator@5.10.0

Module format by version

Derived from the type, main and exports fields of every stable release on npm (147 versions; the newest 60 shown).

VersionsFormatFirst published
6.0.0 – 8.4.0ESM-onlyOct 11, 2023
4.4.0 – 5.10.0CommonJSDec 24, 2019

Frequently asked

Is yeoman-generator ESM-only?

yeoman-generator@8.4.0 is ESM-only. yeoman-generator dropped its CommonJS build in 6.0.0 (October 2023). The last version you can require() on every Node.js version, including 18 and older, is 5.10.0, published Oct 21, 2023.

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

5.10.0 is the last version of yeoman-generator with a CommonJS build. Install it with "npm install yeoman-generator@5.10.0". Every version from 6.0.0 on is ESM-only.

How do I use yeoman-generator from a CommonJS file?

Use a dynamic import: const mod = await import("yeoman-generator"). On Node.js 20.19+, 22.12+ and newer, a plain require("yeoman-generator") also works for ESM packages that do not use top-level await. Alternatively pin yeoman-generator@5.10.0.

Does yeoman-generator work in Bun?

Yes. import "yeoman-generator" loaded successfully in Bun 1.4 on Sep 9, 2026.

Does yeoman-generator ship TypeScript types?

Yes. yeoman-generator bundles its own type declarations; no @types package is needed.

Links

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