WP 7.1: Update Node.js to v24 LTS and npm to v11 (#82370)

[manzoorwanijk]

What?

Backports #82370 to wp/7.1: updates Node.js to v24 LTS and npm to v11.

Why?

wp/7.1 still builds on Node 20, which reaches end of life and diverges from trunk. Keeping the release branch on the same runtime avoids surprises when cherry-picking fixes into it.

How?

Mirrors 5715a61: bumps .nvmrc, the root engines field, the contributor docs, and the CI matrices to ['24', '26']. The devEngines field and the setup-npm composite action do not exist on this branch, so the static checks job pins npm@11 directly instead.

Testing Instructions

1. Run nvm use and confirm Node 24.18 is selected.
2. Run npm install and confirm it does not fail the engine-strict check.
3. Confirm CI is green on this PR.

Use of AI Tools

Authored with Claude Code, reviewed by me.

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Size Change: 0 B

Total Size: 7.75 MB

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[manzoorwanijk]

The Unit Tests failure is a Docker build error with Debian Bullseye repositories, already fixed in #82478 and is being backported to wp/7.1 branch in #82383.

So, we can wait for #82383 to be merged before we can merge this or cherry pick this one into #82383.

[Mamaduka]

Looks good ✅

Let's also share an update in the 7.1 release channel for folks working on minor releases. cc @adamsilverstein, @draganescu