Jest Upgrade Error: ENOENT 'node:stream' Not Found When Upgrading from Jest 23 to 26

This error arises because one of your dependencies (parse5-parser-stream) is importing a Node core module using the new "node:" URL scheme (i.e. "node:stream"). This syntax is supported starting in Node v16, and Jest’s runtime (or your Node environment running Jest) is treating it as a request for a file instead of a built‐in module.

Why It Happens

• The "node:" prefix is a new way to reference core modules in Node. For example, instead of simply writing require("stream"), the code is writing require("node:stream").
• If your project is running on a Node version older than v16, or if Jest’s module resolution isn’t mapping these correctly, Jest will try to locate a file named "node:stream" in your node_modules instead of resolving it as a built‐in module.
• Installing the "stream" package from npm does not work because "node:stream" in this case is meant to refer to the built-in module, not an npm package.

How to Fix It

You have two main options:

1. Upgrade Your Node Version

Make sure you’re using Node v16 or later. This way the "node:" syntax is natively supported, and Jest will correctly resolve core modules. You can check your Node version by running:

BASHCopied
node --version

If you’re on an older version, consider upgrading to avoid compatibility issues.

2. Use Jest’s moduleNameMapper Configuration

If upgrading Node isn’t feasible at the moment, you can add a mapping in your Jest configuration that remaps imports starting with "node:" to the same module without the prefix. In your Jest config (commonly in package.json under "jest" or in a separate jest.config.js file), add the following:

JSCopied
// jest.config.js
module.exports = {
  moduleNameMapper: {
    '^node:(.+)$': '$1'
  },
  // ...other configuration options
};

This tells Jest to replace any import that starts with "node:" with the plain module name (e.g. "stream"), allowing Node to resolve it as a built-in module.

Additional Note on the Spread Error

After resolving the "node:stream" issue, you mentioned another error regarding an "Invalid attempt to spread non-iterable instance." That error typically occurs when code is attempting to use the spread operator on an object that isn’t iterable (i.e. it lacks a Symbol.iterator). This might be a separate issue related to updated transforms or runtime code—make sure that your Babel configuration is correct and that any code using spread syntax is indeed applied to arrays or iterable objects.

Summary

• The error is due to the new "node:" prefix that is not recognized in your current Node/Jest setup.
• Either upgrade to Node v16+ or add a moduleNameMapper configuration in Jest.
• Once the core module mapping issue is resolved, re-run your tests to verify if the remaining spread operator error persists, and then verify that the code handling the spread is working as expected.

Implementing one of the above fixes should resolve the ENOENT error about "node:stream" during your Jest run.