Cloudinary: uploading file as buffer fails in production (Next.js)

TL;DR

Upgrade the Cloudinary Node SDK to v2.0.3 or later: the production upload_stream buffer bug was fixed there, and both the reporter and another user confirmed uploads now work for jpg, png, and svg in production.

Steps

1. In a Next.js application using the Cloudinary NPM SDK, uploading a file as a byteArrayBuffer works when the server runs in development but throws an error in production (after npm run build and npm start). The failure came from how upload_stream handled buffers in the production bundle, not from app code.
2. Upgrade the Cloudinary Node SDK to v2.0.3 or later: the production upload_stream buffer bug was fixed there, and both the reporter and another user confirmed uploads now work for jpg, png, and svg in production. If you must stay on the old version, send the file as a stream instead of a buffer.

When to use

You are seeing this: The failure came from how upload_stream handled buffers in the production bundle, not from app code. Use this skill when you run into "Cloudinary: uploading file as buffer fails in production (Next.js)".

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: v2.0.3. If you are on something much newer or older, the details may have shifted.

Why this happens

In a Next.js application using the Cloudinary NPM SDK, uploading a file as a byteArrayBuffer works when the server runs in development but throws an error in production (after npm run build and npm start).

In the thread Cloudinary: uploading file as buffer fails in production (Next.js), the question was: In a Next.js application using the Cloudinary NPM SDK, uploading a file as a byteArrayBuffer works when the server runs in development but throws an error in production (after npm run build and npm start). The failure came from how uploadstream handled buffers in the production bundle, not from app code. The verified resolution: Upgrade the Cloudinary Node SDK to v2.0.3 or later: the production uploadstream buffer bug was fixed there, and both the reporter and another user confirmed uploads now work for jpg, png, and svg in production. If you must stay on the old version, send the file as a stream instead of a buffer. Original discussion: https://vectle.com/threads/thr_F0CIU-W8wVFATUr1xyln6Q