automatically restarting service via forever for nodejs

Question

I found that forever can run nodejs server forever. Is forever supports this feautre?

-- If the nodejs script is modified changed, the server shld restarted automatically.

How can I enable this feature using forever? or I need something else?

Solution 1

I personally use Nodemon to handle that. Its a replacement for the node server. It automatically restarts the server when your files are updated. You might want to check it out.

Solution 2

From the forever readme. Use the -w flag to watch file for changes.

Solution 3

In case someone else, like myself, comes to find this through google.

I have to run it thusly:

forever --watch ./start/file

For me, at least, it defaults to watching the current directory I'm running the command in for changes. ./start/file is the file that "npm start" hits up from your package.json.

If you need to watch a different directory from where you're pwd shows you to be, try:

forever --watch --watchDirectory ./path/to/dir ./start/file

For some reason "forever start xxxxxxxxx" only brings up the help information for me, but this works. /me shrugs.

Solution 4

Again just another example of its usage (and it does work :D)

forever -w --watchDirectory . --watchIgnore *.log -o ./log/out.log -e ./log/err.log index.js

That will launch the app in the same process with output to stdout/stderr (but also written to the logs)

To launch it in prod watching is obviously not a good idea and running it as a deamon is probably what you are after so drop the -w flags and add the "start" command

forever -o ./log/out.log -e ./log/err.log start index.js

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Comments

[coure2011]

how to use? forever start server.js -w

[Rajat]

@DeaDEnD Can you give an example on how to watch the entire App directory?

[AlessMascherpa]

-w watches dir files and subdirs'

[xandout]

thanks @CrimsonKissaki this was the key for my environment as well forever start --watch --watchDirectory ./ index.js

[ericn]

this does not answer the question, forever definitely has this feature

[Zeal Murapa]

nodemon is for development

[user1709076]

forever --watch startme.js - makes it impossible for me to do 'forever stopall'. it says no processes running, but port 3000 is still occupied.