What is PM2 and how to use it?
Aashish Kasma

What is PM2 and how to use it?

Introduction

PM2 excels as a premier process manager for Node.js applications, guaranteeing smooth operation, effective handling of multiple applications, centralized logging, load balancing, and a resilient ecosystem. This guide delineates PM2's significant advantages and furnishes a detailed, step-by-step installation and utilization walkthrough for Node.js on an AWS EC2 instance.

What is PM2?

PM2 is a popular process manager for Node.js applications that provides several benefits:

  1. It allows you to keep your Node.js applications running continuously: PM2 can automatically restart your application if it crashes, and it can also automatically reload your application when you update your code.

  2. It can help you manage multiple applications: PM2 allows you to manage multiple Node.js applications on the same server, and it provides a convenient CLI interface for starting, stopping, and monitoring your applications.

  3. It provides centralized logging: PM2 can aggregate the logs from your Node.js applications into a single location, making it easier to manage and analyze your logs.

  4. It supports load balancing: PM2 can distribute incoming requests across multiple instances of your Node.js application, allowing you to handle more traffic and improve the performance and reliability of your application.

  5. It provides a robust ecosystem: PM2 has a large and active community, and it integrates with many popular tools and frameworks, making it a versatile and reliable choice for managing Node.js applications.

Overall, PM2 can help you streamline the deployment and management of your Node.js applications, improve their performance and reliability, and simplify your development workflow.

How to install PM2 with node on AWS EC2?

To install PM2 with Node.js on an Amazon EC2 instance, follow these steps:

  • Connect to your EC2 instance via SSH.
  • Install Node.js and npm using the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs
sudo apt-get install npm

  • Install PM2 using npm:
sudo npm install pm2 -g
  • Verify that PM2 has been installed correctly by running the following command:
pm2 -v
  • To start your Node.js application with PM2, navigate to your application directory and run the following command:

pm2 start app.js

Replace app.js with the filename of your main Node.js file.

  • To ensure that your Node.js application is started automatically after a system reboot, use the following command:

pm2 startup

This will generate a command that you can copy and run to set up the necessary system startup scripts.

  • Finally, use the following command to save your current PM2 process list:

pm2 save

This will ensure that your PM2 process list is preserved across server reboots.

That's it! You should now have PM2 installed and running your Node.js application on your EC2 instance.

How to list all the processes inside the PM2 manager?

To list all the processes inside the PM2 manager, you can use the following command:

pm2 list

This command will display a table containing information about all the processes currently managed by PM2, including the process name, process ID (PID), status, and other details.

If you have a large number of processes and want to filter the results based on a specific criteria, you can use the --sort and --filter options. For example, to list all the running processes sorted by memory usage, you can use the following command:

pm2 list --sort memory

To list all the processes with "app" in their name, you can use the following command:

pm2 list --filter app

These options can help you quickly find the information you need and manage your processes more efficiently with PM2.

Key Takeaway

Discover the power of PM2 for Node.js applications – from automatic restarts and code reloads to managing multiple applications, centralized logging, load balancing, and integration with popular tools. Follow the guide to install PM2 on AWS EC2, streamline deployment, and enhance the performance, reliability, and development workflow of your Node.js applications.

Q: What benefits does PM2 offer for Node.js applications?

A: PM2 provides continuous operation by automatically restarting crashed applications and reloading updated code. It efficiently manages multiple applications on a server, offers a CLI for monitoring, aggregates logs centrally, supports load balancing, and boasts a versatile ecosystem, enhancing Node.js application deployment and management.

Q: How do I install PM2 with Node.js on AWS EC2?

A: To install PM2 on an AWS EC2 instance, connect via SSH, install Node.js and npm, then use npm to install PM2 globally. Verify the installation with "pm2 -v". Start your Node.js application with "pm2 start app.js", set up automatic startup with "pm2 startup", and save the process list with "pm2 save". These steps ensure PM2 is installed, configured, and running your Node.js application efficiently.

Q: How can I list all processes within the PM2 manager?

A: To list all processes within the PM2 manager, use the command "pm2 list". This command displays a table with details like process name, PID, status, and more. For more targeted information, utilize options like "--sort" and "--filter" to sort and filter processes based on specific criteria, streamlining the management of your applications.

Also, read: How to setup multiple node version in same system