[FIX] common: close database connections, fix helpers, isolate the test suite - #178

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: actions/checkout@v4. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/

Patch Update

Comparing previous PR version: '4.31.1' and current PR version: '4.31.2'