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doc: add porting plan with difficulty ratings (#23)
* doc: add porting plan with difficulty ratings Enumerates all 58 test directories from Node.js's test/js-native-api and test/node-api, rates each by porting difficulty (Easy/Medium/Hard), and documents special considerations for tests with deep runtime dependencies (libuv, worker threads, SEA, node_api_post_finalizer, etc.). Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com> * doc: clarify napi_ vs node_api_ prefix convention and fix function names Add an "API Naming Convention" section explaining that the napi_/node_api_ prefix difference is historical (rename from "napi" to "Node API"), not an indicator of Node.js-specificity. What matters is the declaring header: js_native_api.h (engine-agnostic) vs node_api.h (runtime-specific). Also fix two function name errors in the Special Considerations section: - node_api_get_prototype → napi_get_prototype (actual name in source) - napi_is_sharedarraybuffer → node_api_is_sharedarraybuffer (correct prefix) - napi_get_typedarray_info → node_api_create_sharedarraybuffer (wrong function referenced; the real concern is backing-store allocation) Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com> * Update PORTING.md Co-authored-by: Chengzhong Wu <legendecas@gmail.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com> Co-authored-by: Chengzhong Wu <legendecas@gmail.com>
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‎PORTING.md‎

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# Porting Plan
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This document tracks the progress of porting tests from Node.js's test suite into the CTS.
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The source directories are [`test/js-native-api`](https://github.com/nodejs/node/tree/main/test/js-native-api)
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and [`test/node-api`](https://github.com/nodejs/node/tree/main/test/node-api) in the Node.js repository.
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## API Naming Convention
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Node-API uses two function prefixes that are sometimes confused:
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- **`napi_`** — the original prefix, retained for backwards compatibility
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- **`node_api_`** — the newer prefix, adopted after the project was renamed from "napi" to "Node API"
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The prefix alone does **not** indicate whether a function is Node.js-specific or runtime-agnostic.
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What matters is which header the function is declared in:
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- `js_native_api.h` — engine-agnostic APIs, available across all Node-API runtimes
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- `node_api.h` — runtime-specific APIs, providing features beyond pure JavaScript value operations.
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For example, `node_api_is_sharedarraybuffer` carries the newer `node_api_` prefix but is declared
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in `js_native_api.h` and is therefore engine-agnostic.
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## Difficulty Ratings
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Difficulty is assessed on two axes:
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- **Size/complexity** — total lines of C/C++ and JS across all source files
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- **Runtime-API dependence** — pure `js_native_api.h` is cheapest; Node.js extensions and direct
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libuv calls require harness work or Node-only scoping
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| Rating | Meaning |
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|---|---|
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| Easy | Small test, pure `js_native_api.h` or trivial runtime API, straightforward 1:1 port |
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| Medium | Moderate size or uses a Node.js extension API that the harness will need to abstract |
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| Hard | Large test and/or deep libuv/worker/SEA dependency; may need new harness primitives or Node-only scoping |
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## Engine-specific (`js-native-api`)
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Tests covering the engine-specific part of Node-API, defined in `js_native_api.h`.
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| Directory | Status | Difficulty |
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|---|---|---|
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| `2_function_arguments` | Ported | — |
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| `3_callbacks` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `4_object_factory` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `5_function_factory` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `6_object_wrap` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `7_factory_wrap` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `8_passing_wrapped` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_array` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_bigint` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_cannot_run_js` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_constructor` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_conversions` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_dataview` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_date` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_error` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_exception` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_finalizer` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_function` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_general` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_handle_scope` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_instance_data` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_new_target` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_number` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_object` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_promise` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_properties` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_reference` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_reference_double_free` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_sharedarraybuffer` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_string` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_symbol` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_typedarray` | Not ported | Medium |
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## Runtime-specific (`node-api`)
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Tests covering the runtime-specific part of Node-API, defined in `node_api.h`.
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| Directory | Status | Difficulty |
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|---|---|---|
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| `1_hello_world` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_async` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_async_cleanup_hook` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_async_context` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_buffer` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_callback_scope` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_cleanup_hook` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_env_teardown_gc` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_exception` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_fatal` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_fatal_exception` | Not ported | Easy |
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| `test_general` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_init_order` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_instance_data` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_make_callback` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_make_callback_recurse` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_null_init` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_reference_by_node_api_version` | Not ported | Medium |
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| `test_sea_addon` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_threadsafe_function` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_threadsafe_function_shutdown` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_uv_loop` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_uv_threadpool_size` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_worker_buffer_callback` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_worker_terminate` | Not ported | Hard |
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| `test_worker_terminate_finalization` | Not ported | Hard |
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## Special Considerations
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### `node_api_post_finalizer` (`6_object_wrap`, `test_finalizer`)
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Both tests call `node_api_post_finalizer` to defer JS-touching work out of the GC finalizer and
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onto the main thread. The function is declared in `js_native_api.h` but is gated behind
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`NAPI_EXPERIMENTAL`, so not all runtimes may implement it yet. The CTS harness will need a
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platform-agnostic post-finalizer primitive that implementors can map to their own
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deferred-callback mechanism, or the tests need to isolate the post-finalizer cases behind a
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runtime capability check.
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### `node_api_set_prototype` / `napi_get_prototype` (`test_general`, js-native-api)
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The general test suite mixes `js_native_api.h` assertions with calls to `node_api_set_prototype`
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(gated behind `NAPI_EXPERIMENTAL`) and `napi_get_prototype` (standard). The experimental function
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may not be implemented by all runtimes yet. The CTS port should split the affected test cases into
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a stable core and an experimental annex, or guard the `node_api_set_prototype` cases with a
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runtime capability check.
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### SharedArrayBuffer backing-store creation (`test_sharedarraybuffer`)
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`node_api_is_sharedarraybuffer` and `node_api_create_sharedarraybuffer` are both declared in
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`js_native_api.h` and are engine-agnostic. However, the test also exercises creating a
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SharedArrayBuffer from the C side via `node_api_create_sharedarraybuffer`, which allocates
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backing store memory. The CTS version will need a harness-provided factory (something like
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`create_shared_array_buffer(size)`) that each runtime can implement using its own path.
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### libuv dependency (multiple `node-api` tests)
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The following tests call into libuv directly — `napi_get_uv_event_loop`, `uv_thread_t`,
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`uv_mutex_t`, `uv_async_t`, `uv_check_t`, `uv_idle_t`, `uv_queue_work`, and related APIs:
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- `test_async`, `test_async_cleanup_hook`, `test_async_context`
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- `test_callback_scope`
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- `test_fatal` (uses `uv_thread_t` to test cross-thread fatal errors)
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- `test_instance_data` (async work + threadsafe functions + `uv_thread_t`)
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- `test_uv_loop`, `test_uv_threadpool_size`
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Porting options:
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1. **Node-only scope** — mark these tests as Node.js-only and skip on other runtimes.
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2. **Harness abstraction** — introduce a minimal platform-agnostic threading/async API in the
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harness (e.g., `cts_thread_create`, `cts_async_schedule`) that implementors back with their
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own event loop primitives (libuv, tokio, etc.).
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### Threadsafe functions (`test_threadsafe_function`, `test_threadsafe_function_shutdown`)
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`test_threadsafe_function` is the largest single test (~700 total lines across C and JS), covering
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blocking/non-blocking queue modes, queue-full handling, multiple concurrent threads, finalization
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ordering, uncaught exception propagation, and high-precision timing via `uv_hrtime`. The threading
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primitives are libuv-specific (same concern as the section above). Porting this test likely depends
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on resolving the libuv abstraction question first.
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### Worker threads (`test_worker_buffer_callback`, `test_worker_terminate`, `test_worker_terminate_finalization`)
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These three tests exercise addon behavior inside Node.js worker threads: buffer finalizer delivery
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in worker contexts, function-call behavior under pending exceptions during worker shutdown, and
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wrapped-object finalization on forced worker termination. Node.js worker threads have no direct
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equivalent in most other Node-API runtimes. These tests are likely Node.js-only and should be
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scoped accordingly.
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### SEA — Single Executable Applications (`test_sea_addon`)
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`test_sea_addon` verifies that a native addon can be loaded inside a Node.js Single Executable
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Application. SEA is a Node.js-specific packaging feature with no equivalent in other runtimes.
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This test should be excluded from the CTS scope or placed in a Node-only annex.
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### `napi_get_node_version` (`test_general`, node-api)
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`test_general` calls `napi_get_node_version`, which returns the Node.js major/minor/patch version.
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No equivalent exists in other runtimes. The CTS port should either omit that assertion or expose a
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harness helper (e.g., `cts_get_runtime_version`) that runtimes can optionally implement.
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### Legacy module registration (`test_null_init`)
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`test_null_init` exercises the deprecated `NAPI_MODULE` macro with a NULL init function, calling
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`napi_module_register` directly. Some newer runtimes that implement Node-API may not support this
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legacy registration path. If so, this test should be scoped as Node-only or skipped on runtimes
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that only support `NAPI_MODULE_INIT`.

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