Getting error in `undici` module `Class extends value #<child> is not a constructor or null` on node upgrade to 18.18.2 and above

Question

I'm encountering a TypeError when making requests for a token from the googleapis library using a JWT client. The error message is as follows:

TypeError: Class extends value #<child> is not a constructor or null
at lib/websocket/events.js (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:10194:52)
at __require (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:4:50)
at lib/websocket/util.js (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:10436:40)
at __require (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:4:50)
at lib/websocket/websocket.js (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:10979:96)
at __require (node:internal/deps/undici/undici:4:50)
...
at Gaxios.validateOpts (/home/ubuntu/xxx/node_modules/gaxios/build/src/gaxios.js:213:32)

The error seems to be related to the following code snippet:

const isFormData = typeof FormData === 'undefined'
                ? false
                : (opts === null || opts === void 0 ? void 0 : opts.data) instanceof FormData;

Interestingly,

1. the error disappears when all the references of FormData is removed.
2. the error only occurs for node version 18.18.2 and above except version 19.

This suggests a potential compatibility issue with the specific Node.js versions. Further investigation into the release notes indicates that this commit might have introduced the problem.

I have a few questions regarding this issue:

1. How does the above error occur simply by referencing a token/variable using typeof?
2. Based on the findings, can we conclude that this is an issue introduced in the Node.js package starting from version 18.18.2?
3. Does this imply that the libraries involved (googleapis, gaxios, undici) are not compatible with these Node.js versions?
4. What could be a possible solution for this, considering it appears to be a library-level issue?

Any insights or suggestions on resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!