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NodeJS Auto-reload server

Published on December 23, 2020

This document was migrated from DigiDocs

Problem: Manually reloading the NodeJS server by hitting Ctrl + C and entering npm start repeatedly in development is exhausting.

Solution: Automatically reload the server each time there is a change!

Nodemon​

Cite

Nodemon is a utility that will monitor for any changes in your source and automatically restart your server.

How-to-use​

npm i -g nodemon
  1. Install nodemon: npm i -g nodemon.
  2. Replace node with nodemon in your command. For example, change node index.js to nodemon index.js. That's it.

Add to npm scripts​

You can also add it to npm scripts to make life even easier.

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "dev": "nodemon index.js"
  }
}

After doing so, you can enter npm run dev subsequently, which will resolve to nodemon index.js.

Resources​