pm2
PM2 Cheat Sheet
Installation
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npm install -g pm2 # Install PM2 globally
pm2 update # Update PM2 to latest version
pm2 -v # Check PM2 version
node -v # Check Node.js version
npm -v # Check npm version
Starting Applications
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pm2 start app.js # Start Node.js app
pm2 start app.js --name my-app # Name the process
pm2 start app.js --watch # Auto-restart on file changes
pm2 start app.js -i max # Cluster mode (all CPUs)
pm2 start app.js -i 4 # Cluster with 4 instances
pm2 start "serve -s dist -l 3000" # Start static server / shell command
pm2 start script.sh # Start bash script
pm2 start app.py --interpreter python3 # Python app
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js # Start using PM2 config
pm2 start app.js --time # Show timestamp in logs
pm2 start app.js --no-autorestart # Disable auto-restart
pm2 start app.js --max-memory-restart 200M # Restart if memory exceeds
Serve a static folder with PM2 built-in server
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pm2 serve dist 3000 --name my-app # Serve 'dist' on port 3000
pm2 serve dist $PORT --name $NAME # Using environment variables
pm2 serve dist 3000 --spa # Single Page App mode (rewrite all to index.html)
pm2 serve dist 3000 --spa --name my-app # SPA mode with custom name
pm2 save # Save process for auto-start on boot
pm2 startup # Enable PM2 on system boot
Stopping & Deleting
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pm2 stop all # Stop all processes
pm2 stop my-app # Stop by name
pm2 stop 0 # Stop by ID
pm2 delete all # Delete all processes
pm2 delete my-app # Delete by name
pm2 delete 0 # Delete by ID
pm2 kill # Kill PM2 daemon and all processes
Restarting & Reloading
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pm2 restart all # Restart all processes
pm2 restart my-app # Restart by name
pm2 restart 0 # Restart by ID
pm2 reload all # Zero-downtime reload (cluster mode)
pm2 reload my-app # Zero-downtime reload by name
pm2 reload 0 # Reload by ID
Monitoring & Status
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pm2 list # List all processes
pm2 status # Same as list
pm2 show my-app # Detailed info about a process
pm2 describe my-app # Same as show
pm2 monit # Real-time monitoring dashboard
pm2 top # CPU/Memory usage dashboard
Logs
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pm2 logs # Show all logs
pm2 logs my-app # Show specific app logs
pm2 logs my-app --lines 100 # Show last 100 lines
pm2 logs --nostream # Print logs once, no streaming
pm2 flush # Clear all logs
pm2 reloadLogs # Reload log files
pm2 reset my-app # Reset restart count & logs
pm2 logrotate:enable # Enable automatic log rotation
Log Rotation Config Example:
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pm2 install pm2-logrotate
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:max_size 10M
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:retain 30
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:compress true
pm2 set pm2-logrotate:rotateInterval '0 0 * * *' # Daily
Startup & Auto-restart on Boot
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pm2 startup # Generate startup script
pm2 startup ubuntu # Generate for specific OS
pm2 save # Save current process list
pm2 resurrect # Restore saved process list
pm2 unstartup # Disable startup script
Cluster Mode
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pm2 start app.js -i 0 # Auto-detect CPU count
pm2 start app.js -i max # Use all available CPUs
pm2 start app.js -i 4 # Use 4 CPUs
pm2 scale my-app 4 # Scale to 4 instances
pm2 scale my-app +2 # Add 2 more instances
pm2 scale my-app -1 # Remove 1 instance
Environment Variables
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pm2 start app.js --env production # Use production env
pm2 restart my-app --env production # Restart with env
pm2 start app.js --env development # Use development env
Example with ecosystem file:
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env: { NODE_ENV: 'development' },
env_production: { NODE_ENV: 'production' }
Ecosystem Config File
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// ecosystem.config.js
module.exports = {
apps: [
{
name: 'my-app',
script: 'app.js',
instances: 'max',
exec_mode: 'cluster',
watch: true,
max_memory_restart: '200M',
env: {
NODE_ENV: 'development',
PORT: 3000
},
env_production: {
NODE_ENV: 'production',
PORT: 8080
}
}
],
deploy: {
production: {
user: 'ubuntu',
host: 'server.com',
ref: 'origin/main',
repo: 'git@github.com:user/repo.git',
path: '/var/www/my-app',
'post-deploy': 'npm install && pm2 reload ecosystem.config.js --env production'
}
}
}
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pm2 start ecosystem.config.js # Start all apps
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js --env production
pm2 reload ecosystem.config.js --env production
Useful One-liners
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pm2 list --no-color # For CI/logs
pm2 pid my-app # Get PID
pm2 sendSignal SIGUSR2 my-app # Send signal
pm2 reset my-app # Reset restart count & logs
pm2 info my-app # Full process info
pm2 prettylist # Pretty JSON of process info
For Expo / Static Web Apps
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# Install serve
npm install -g serve
# Start Expo dist folder
pm2 start "serve -s /path/to/dist -l 3000" --name my-expo-app
# Save and enable on boot
pm2 save
pm2 startup
Advanced PM2 Features
Watch & Auto-Restart
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pm2 start app.js --watch --ignore-watch="node_modules logs"
Memory & CPU Limit Auto-Restart
pm2 start app.js --max-memory-restart 300M
Custom Script Arguments
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pm2 start app.js -- --port 3000 --verbose
Sending Signals to Apps
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pm2 sendSignal SIGINT my-app
pm2 sendSignal SIGHUP my-app
Debugging
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pm2 logs my-app --lines 200
pm2 show my-app
Quick Reference
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Start app | pm2 start app.js --name my-app |
| Stop app | pm2 stop my-app |
| Restart app | pm2 restart my-app |
| Zero-downtime reload | pm2 reload my-app |
| View logs | pm2 logs my-app |
| Monitor | pm2 monit |
| Save process list | pm2 save |
| Enable on boot | pm2 startup |
| Delete app | pm2 delete my-app |
| Scale | pm2 scale my-app +2 |
| Watch files | pm2 start app.js --watch |
| Memory restart | pm2 start app.js --max-memory-restart 200M |
| PID | pm2 pid my-app |
This post is licensed under
CC BY 4.0
by the author.