Nodemon in Node.js

What is a Nodemon?

A nodemon is a utility that automatically restarts your node.js server based on file modifications. It enables easy development of node.js-based applications.

Features of Nodemon

• Automatic Restart: Nodemon watches the directory's files and restarts the server when any changes are detected.
• Supports All File Types: Compatible with every file type that Node.js requires or imports.
• Custom Configuration: Users can configure Nodemon using command line options or a configuration file (nodemon.json).
• Integration with Express: Works seamlessly with Express.js and other popular frameworks.
• Flexible Exclusions: You can exclude specific files or folders from monitoring to avoid wasteful restarts.
• Cross-platform: Works with Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
• Signal Handling: Handles termination signals (SIGTERM, SIGINT) gracefully, resulting in clean shutdowns.
• Event Logging: Generates extensive logs of file modifications and server restarts for troubleshooting reasons.

Installation of Nodemon

• Install globally: npm install -g nodemon.
• Install as a development dependency: npm install --save-dev nodemon.

Nodemon Usage

• Start your Node.js application with Nodemon rather than the node command.
• Rather than node app.js, use nodemon app.js.
• Nodemon will monitor your files for changes and restart the server automatically if needed.

Configuration

• Nodemon has several configuration parameters that can be set in a nodemon.json file or via command-line arguments.
• Configuration options include ignoring certain files or directories, postponing restarts, setting environment variables, and so forth.

Command Line Options of Nodemon

• --exec <executable>: Run the script using the specified executable, which is node by default.
• --ext <extensions>: Specify the file extensions to monitor; defaults to js,json.
• --watch <directory>: Specifies the directory to monitor for changes. By default, nodemon monitors the current directory.
• --ignore <pattern>: Allows you to specify patterns to ignore files. Separate numerous patterns with commas.
• --delay <seconds>: Set the delay before restarting the process; default is 1 second.
• --quiet: Disable nodemon console log messages other than errors.
• --verbose: Prints additional debug information.
• --version: Print nodemon's version number and then exit.
• --help: Show the help information.
• --config <file>: Define a configuration file.