Node.js 22 Is Here — Everything You Need to Know

Node.js 22 became the current LTS in October 2025, and it's a significant release. Let's go through what actually changed and what it means for your projects.

Native TypeScript Support (Type Stripping)

This is the headline feature. You can now run .ts files directly:

node --experimental-strip-types server.ts

Node strips the type annotations before executing — it doesn't type-check. Think of it as a lightweight alternative to ts-node for running scripts without a build step.

[!IMPORTANT] This is type stripping only — not full TypeScript compilation. Features like enum, namespace, and decorators (pre-standard) are not supported. For production TypeScript compilation, you still want tsc or a bundler.

For most utility scripts and quick prototypes, it's exactly what you need.

require(esm) Is Now Stable

The long-standing headache of importing ES modules in CommonJS code is resolved:

// In a CommonJS file (.cjs or "type": "commonjs")
const { something } = require('./esm-module.mjs'); // Now works!
const chalk = require('chalk'); // ESM-only package — now works!

This eliminates the ERR_REQUIRE_ESM error that forced either converting your entire project to ESM or maintaining awkward dynamic import workarounds.

Built-in WebSocket Client

Node.js now ships a native WebSocket client, matching the browser's WebSocket API:

const ws = new WebSocket('wss://api.example.com/realtime');

ws.onopen = () => {
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'subscribe', channel: 'updates' }));
};

ws.onmessage = ({ data }) => {
    console.log('Received:', JSON.parse(data));
};

No more ws package for simple client-side WebSocket connections.

Improved Test Runner

Node's built-in node:test module gets meaningful upgrades:

import { test, describe, beforeEach } from 'node:test';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

describe('User service', () => {
    let userService;

    beforeEach(() => {
        userService = new UserService({ db: mockDb });
    });

    test('returns user by ID', async () => {
        const user = await userService.findById('user-1');
        assert.equal(user.name, 'Alice');
    });

    test('throws when user not found', async () => {
        await assert.rejects(
            () => userService.findById('nonexistent'),
            { name: 'NotFoundError' }
        );
    });
});

Run with node --test — no additional tools needed for basic test suites.

AbortSignal.timeout() Improvements

Cleaner timeout handling without manual cleanup:

const controller = new AbortController();

// Automatically aborts after 5 seconds
const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/data', {
    signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000),
});

Performance Improvements

Upgrade Path

# With nvm
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

# With fnm (faster alternative to nvm)
fnm install 22
fnm use 22

# Verify
node --version # v22.x.x

Breaking changes to watch for:

• --experimental-fetch flag removed (Fetch is now stable and always on)
• punycode module deprecated (use whatwg-url instead)
• Minimum OpenSSL version bumped to 3.0

Should You Upgrade?

If you're on Node.js 18 LTS: Yes, plan the upgrade. Node.js 18 goes EOL in April 2025.

If you're on Node.js 20 LTS: Eventually yes, but Node.js 20 is supported until April 2026.

For new projects starting today: Start on 22.