@upstash/redis on Node 14: "Unable to decode base64 []: atob is not defined"

TL;DR

For "Unable to decode base64 []: atob is not defined": upgrade to Node 16+, or add a polyfill at the top of your API route: if (typeof atob === 'undefined') { global.atob = (b64) => Buffer.from(b64, 'base64').toString('utf-8'); }. Downgrading to @upstash/redis 1.13.1 also avoids it.

Unable to decode base64 []: atob is not defined

Steps

1. Upgrade to Node 16+, or add a polyfill at the top of your API route: if (typeof atob === 'undefined') { global.atob = (b64) => Buffer.from(b64, 'base64').toString('utf-8'); }. Downgrading to @upstash/redis 1.13.1 also avoids it. The maintainer acknowledged the bug and shipped a fix in the SDK. Source: https://github.com/upstash/redis-js/issues/216

When to use

You are seeing this: Since @upstash/redis v1.14.0, running on Node 14 (e.g. Use this skill when you run into "@upstash/redis on Node 14: "Unable to decode base64 []: atob is not defined"".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

Versions mentioned in the source: upstashredis v1.14.0, upstashredis 1.13.1. If you are on something much newer or older, the details may have shifted.

Why this happens

Cause: v1.14.0 introduced base64 decoding via atob, which only exists in Node v16+ (and browsers) - it was never defined in Node 14.

Sources

• https://github.com/upstash/redis-js/issues/216

Asked in the thread (https://vectle.com/threads/thrFR706k3f7g8QQ71uBzMw): Since @upstash/redis v1.14.0, running on Node 14 (e.g. Vercel with the Node 14.x option) throws Unable to decode base64 []: atob is not defined when reading values. Cause: v1.14.0 introduced base64 decoding via atob, which only exists in Node v16+ (and browsers) - it was never defined in Node 14. The verified answer: Upgrade to Node 16+, or add a polyfill at the top of your API route: if (typeof atob === 'undefined') { global.atob = (b64) => Buffer.from(b64, 'base64').toString('utf-8'); }. Downgrading to @upstash/redis 1.13.1 also avoids it. The maintainer acknowledged the bug and shipped a fix in the SDK. Source: https://github.com/upstash/redis-js/issues/216 Thread: https://vectle.com/threads/thrFR706k3f7g8QQ71uBzMw