pm2-server-control

You can manage Node.js server processes with PM2 by using lifecycle commands to start, stop, restart, and delete processes. This provides deterministic process control and quick visibility into server status for development and lightweight deployments.

The best way to start a local Node.js server without auto-restarting is using the command pattern pm2 start ./my-server --name <name> --no-autorestart. This ensures a clean and deterministic process lifecycle for your testing environment.

Yes, you need PM2 installed and accessible from your shell to control your Node.js processes. The tool relies on the PM2 command-line interface to execute lifecycle operations like start, stop, and status inspection.

To diagnose runtime issues in your Node.js process using PM2, inspect the process status and logs. Running pm2 show <name> and pm2 logs allows you to quickly view process details and monitor output to identify errors.

Yes, you can use PM2 for lightweight deployments and testing environments. It supports common lifecycle operations such as status checks, restarts, and cleanup, giving you deterministic process management without complex orchestration overhead.