PM2: Your Node.js App's Unflappable Production Manager
If you've ever deployed a Node.js, Next.js, or any modern web application to a production server, you've quickly realized that simply running node server.js isn't enough. What happens if the app crashes? What if the server reboots? What if you need to handle more traffic?
The answer to all of these crucial production questions is PM2 (Process Manager 2). It's more than just a tool to run your script; it's a full-featured, battle-tested production manager that ensures your application is always on, highly available, and scalable.
Let's dive into why PM2 is an essential tool in every developer's and DevOps engineer's toolkit.
What Exactly is PM2?
PM2 is a production-ready Process Manager for Node.js applications (though it can manage scripts written in Python, Ruby, and others). It runs as a daemon process in the background, keeping a watchful eye over your application processes.
Essentially, PM2 takes over the …