# What changed in dotenv-defaults

> 14 changes in dotenv-defaults 2 to 6 from its official release notes, upgrade guides and advisories: 10 breaking, 1 new APIs and options. Each one cited. Sources checked 2026-10-27. HTML: https://unstale.sh/npm/dotenv-defaults/

To see which of these apply to a repository, run `npx @unstale/cli init` in it.

## dotenv-defaults 6

### Breaking changes

- The package now provides config as a named export for ESM imports. (6.0.0) — [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)
- The package is ESM-only; CommonJS require() is no longer supported, so users must use ESM import syntax. (6.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v6.0.0), [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)
- The CLI preload flag changes from -r to --import. (6.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v6.0.0), [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)
- The minimum supported Node.js version is now 18.0.0, up from 12+. (6.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v6.0.0), [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)
- The package now provides parse as a named export for ESM imports. (6.0.0) — [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)

### New APIs and options

- The package now includes TypeScript type definitions, including ConfigOptions for typing configuration options. (6.0.0) — [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)

### Behavior and default changes

- Modern package exports improve import resolution. (6.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v6.0.0), [upgrade guide](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/blob/HEAD/MIGRATION.md)

### Tooling

- The package includes .d.ts files, providing TypeScript support without requiring a build step. (6.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v6.0.0)

## dotenv-defaults 4

### Breaking changes

- Support for Node v10 was dropped. (4.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v4.0.0)

## dotenv-defaults 3

### Breaking changes

- Drops support for dotenv 8 and 9. (3.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v3.0.0)
- Drops support for Node v8 and v9. (3.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v3.0.0)

### Behavior and default changes

- Adds support for dotenv 10. (3.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v3.0.0)

## dotenv-defaults 2

### Breaking changes

- The load alias for config was removed because it had already been removed in dotenv v7.0.0. (2.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v2.0.0)
- Support for Node v6, which has reached end-of-life, was dropped. (2.0.0) — [release notes](https://github.com/mrsteele/dotenv-defaults/releases/tag/v2.0.0)