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What is PM2 and what does it add over running `node server.js` directly?

Q: What is PM2 and what does it add over running `node server.js` directly?

**TL;DR.** **PM2** is a production **process manager** that keeps apps alive (**auto-restart** on crash), runs them in **cluster mode** across CPU cores, supports **zero-downtime reloads**, and centralizes **logs and metrics** — things bare node server.js doesn't provide. In containers, an **orchestrator** (Kubernetes) often replaces it. PM2 daemon worker 1</tex

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Process management, clustering, and zero-downtime reloads.

nodejsopspm2process-manager

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Cluster mode + reload

pm2 start server.js -i max      # one instance per CPU core
pm2 reload server               # zero-downtime: restart workers one by one
pm2 logs                        # aggregated logs
pm2 startup && pm2 save         # resurrect on reboot
# In containers, prefer:  pm2-runtime start server.js  (or just one process/pod)

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