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wtf is pm2?

yyx990803/pm2 — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2013-10-15

★ 4JavaScriptAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A command-line process manager that keeps Node.js apps running, auto-restarting crashes and load-balancing across CPU cores.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((PM2))
    What it does
      Runs Node apps
      Auto restarts crashes
      Live monitoring
    Tech stack
      Node.js
      JavaScript
      Linux and macOS
    Use cases
      Production web servers
      Multi-core scaling
      Server reboot recovery
    Audience
      Developers
      Ops and DevOps
    Features
      Cluster mode
      Log aggregation
      Cron restarts
      Health API

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Run a Node.js API in production with automatic restarts if it crashes.

REASON 2

Scale an app across all CPU cores with a single pm2 start -i max command.

REASON 3

Watch live CPU and memory usage of running apps in a terminal dashboard.

REASON 4

Save process state so PM2 resurrects all apps automatically after a server reboot.

What's in the stack?

Node.jsJavaScript

How it stacks up

yyx990803/pm2arata-ae/purupurupngtubercarrycooldude/nova-ide
Stars444
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2013-10-15——
MaintenanceDormant——
Setup difficultyeasymoderate—
Complexity2/53/5—
Audienceops devopsgeneralvibe coder

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me the pm2 command to start my Node app across all CPU cores.
Prompt 2
Help me set up a JSON config file to launch multiple Node apps with PM2.
Prompt 3
Explain how to use pm2 monit to watch CPU and memory usage in real time.
Prompt 4
Write a cron pattern for PM2 to restart my app on a schedule.
Prompt 5
Show me how to save and resurrect PM2 process state after a server reboot.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is pm2?

A command-line process manager that keeps Node.js apps running, auto-restarting crashes and load-balancing across CPU cores.

What language is pm2 written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes Node.js, JavaScript.

Is pm2 actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2013-10-15).

How hard is pm2 to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is pm2 for?

Mainly ops devops.

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