Nodemon is a tool that automatically restarts your Node.js application when changes are made to the code. This can be extremely helpful during development, as it eliminates the need to manually restart your application each time you make changes.
To globally install Nodemon using npm, you can use the following command:
npm install -g nodemon
This command installs Nodemon globally on your system, allowing you to use it in any project without needing to install it separately for each project.
Once Nodemon is installed, you can use it to start your Node.js application by running the following command:
nodemon [your-application-entry-file]
For example, if your application's entry file is called "index.js", you would run the following command:
nodemon index.js
This will start your application and begin monitoring for changes. If any changes are made to your code, Nodemon will automatically restart your application.
You can also pass additional command-line options to Nodemon to customize its behavior. For example, to set the delay before restarting the application after changes are detected, you can use the --delay
option:
nodemon --delay 2 index.js
This will delay the restart of the application by 2 seconds after changes are detected.
You can also use the -e
option to specify which file extensions to watch for changes. For example, to watch for changes to JavaScript and JSON files, you would run the following command:
nodemon -e js,json index.js
Nodemon also supports configuration file, which you can use to set options. By default, nodemon looks for a file named nodemon.json
in the current directory. To configure nodemon using configuration file, you can create a file named nodemon.json
in the root of your project and set the options in it:
{
"watch": ["src"],
"ext": "js,json",
"ignore": ["src/config.js"],
"exec": "node --inspect=0.0.0.0:9229"
}
In this example, watch
tells nodemon to watch the src
directory, ext
tells nodemon to watch for changes to js
and json
files, ignore
tells nodemon to ignore the config.js
file and exec
tells nodemon to execute the node --inspect=0.0.0.0:9229
command when starting the app.
In conclusion, Nodemon is a powerful tool that can greatly simplify your Node.js development workflow. With its ability to automatically restart your application when changes are made, Nodemon can save you a significant amount of time and effort.
Another great feature of Nodemon is its support for running custom scripts before or after the application restarts. This can be useful for tasks such as running test suites or compiling assets.
To run a script before the application restarts, you can use the --exec
option, followed by the command to run. For example, to run a script called "test.sh" before the application restarts, you would run the following command:
nodemon --exec "./test.sh" index.js
Similarly, to run a script after the application restarts, you can use the --on-restart
option. For example, to run a script called "compile.sh" after the application restarts, you would run the following command:
nodemon --on-restart "./compile.sh" index.js
Another great feature of Nodemon is its ability to run multiple instances of the same application. This is useful in scenarios where you have multiple development environments and you want to run different instances of the application on different ports. To run multiple instances of the application, you can use the -x
option and provide the number of instances you want to run. For example, to run 3 instances of your application, you would run the following command:
nodemon -x "node --inspect" -- 3 index.js
You can also use the -L
option, which will enable the "legacy watch" feature that uses a more efficient file watching method. This can be useful in situations where Nodemon is having trouble detecting changes to your files.
nodemon -L index.js
Nodemon also offers a web-based monitoring and control interface, called the Nodemon API. This API allows you to control and monitor Nodemon instances remotely, and can be useful in situations where you want to run Nodemon on a remote server, and control it from your local machine. To enable the Nodemon API, you can use the --api
option and specify a port to listen on. For example, to enable the API and listen on port 3000, you would run the following command:
nodemon --api 3000 index.js
Finally, you can also use nodemon with other task runners like gulp.js and Grunt.js. This allows you to run nodemon as a task in your build pipeline and automate the process of starting and restarting your application.
In conclusion, Nodemon is a powerful and versatile tool that can help streamline your Node.js development workflow. With its support for running custom scripts, running multiple instances, web-based monitoring and control, and integration with other task runners, Nodemon offers a wide range of functionality that can help simplify and automate your development process.
Popular questions
- How do I install Nodemon globally using npm?
- You can install Nodemon globally using npm by running the command
npm install -g nodemon
.
- How do I use Nodemon to start my Node.js application?
- To start your Node.js application using Nodemon, you can run the command
nodemon [your-application-entry-file]
. For example, if your application's entry file is called "index.js", you would run the commandnodemon index.js
.
- How can I set a delay before Nodemon restarts my application after changes are detected?
- To set a delay before Nodemon restarts your application, you can use the
--delay
option followed by the number of seconds to delay. For example, to set a 2-second delay, you would run the commandnodemon --delay 2 index.js
.
- Can I specify which file extensions Nodemon should watch for changes?
- Yes, you can specify which file extensions Nodemon should watch for changes using the
-e
option followed by a comma-separated list of file extensions. For example, to watch for changes to JavaScript and JSON files, you would run the commandnodemon -e js,json index.js
.
- Can I configure Nodemon using a configuration file?
- Yes, you can configure Nodemon using a configuration file. By default, Nodemon looks for a file named
nodemon.json
in the current directory. You can create a file namednodemon.json
in the root of your project and set the options in it. options includewatch
,ext
,ignore
andexec
Tag
Nodemon