Field notesJul 11, 20264 min read

ERR_REQUIRE_ESM in 2026: you might just need to upgrade Node

require() of ES modules works by default since Node 22.12 and 20.19. When it still fails, it is one of two edge cases.

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For years the answer to ERR_REQUIRE_ESM was “switch to import()” or “pin the last CommonJS version”. Current Node can load synchronous ES modules from require() directly.

ERR_REQUIRE_ESMErrorrequire() of ES Module not supportedCommonJS code called require() on an ESM-only package (node-fetch 3, chalk 5, nanoid 4…). Use await import(), switch your project to ESM, pin the last CJS version, or upgrade to Node ≥20.19 / 22.12 where require(esm) works.
terminal
$ node --version
v20.11.1   # too old: upgrade to 20.19+ or 22.12+

When it still fails

  • The module uses top-level await. Those cannot be loaded synchronously; use await import().
  • A bundler or test runner (older Jest, ts-node) does its own module loading and has not caught up.
Tip

Library authors: publish both builds with an exports map until your users are on 20.19+.