PODCAST: PM2 is a popular process manager for Node.js applications, and it’s commonly used with Next.js to keep the application running reliably in production. PM2 helps manage the application lifecycle, including starting, stopping, restarting, and monitoring, ensuring it stays online even after server restarts or crashes. [1, 2]
Here’s why PM2 is useful for Next.js:
- Process Management: PM2 simplifies the management of Node.js processes, including Next.js applications, by providing commands for starting, stopping, restarting, and monitoring them. [1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4]
- Background Execution: PM2 allows Next.js applications to run in the background, even when the user is not actively logged in, ensuring continuous availability. [1, 1, 2, 2]
- Production Stability: PM2 helps prevent downtime by automatically restarting the Next.js application if it crashes or encounters an error. [1, 1, 2, 2, 5]
- Clustering: PM2 can run multiple instances of the Next.js application, distributing traffic across them for improved performance and scalability, especially in production environments. [6, 6, 7, 7]
- Logging: PM2 provides comprehensive logging capabilities, making it easier to diagnose issues and troubleshoot problems with the application. [1, 1, 2, 2]
To use PM2 with Next.js, you typically install it globally, prepare your Next.js application for production (e.g., by building it), and then use PM2 commands to start, manage, and monitor the application. [8, 9]
Here’s a basic example of how to start a Next.js application with PM2: [10]
# Assuming you have already built your Next.js application |
This command starts the Next.js application with the name “your-app-name” using the npm start script defined in your package.json file. [8, 11, 12, 13]
PM2 also offers features like: [10, 14, 15, 16]
- Auto-reloading: PM2 can automatically reload the application when code changes are detected. [14, 14, 15, 15, 17]
- Load Balancing: PM2 can distribute traffic across multiple instances of the application, improving performance and availability. [6, 6, 7, 7]
- Monitoring: PM2 provides tools for monitoring the application’s performance, resource usage, and other metrics. [1, 1, 15, 15]
- Ecosystem files: PM2 can use ecosystem files to configure complex deployments, including environment variables and other settings. [14, 14, 18, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22]
PM2 is a powerful tool for managing Next.js applications in production, providing stability, performance, and ease of management. [1, 2, 15]
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_nrIh7rBng
[2] https://www.headystack.com/self-host-nextjs
[3] https://medium.com/@ralphbetta/pm2-vs-screen-0b9fe0a8a289
[4] https://medium.com/@kaanberkozbek/nodejs-pm2-module-fb59abf5319e
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/nextjs/comments/1e98shw/do_i_need_pm2_in_my_docker_container/
[7] https://www.tomups.com/posts/serve-nextjs-pm2/
[8] https://medium.com/@oliviarizona/how-to-self-host-nextjs-59f71573d5e7
[10] https://github.com/vercel/next.js/discussions/30899
[11] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70352826/can-i-use-pm2-to-keep-a-next-js-app-running
[12] https://github.com/vercel/next.js/discussions/31461
[13] https://robiul.dev/pm2-a-journey-from-basics-to-advanced-nodejs-process-management
[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0Fae4_EnM
[16] https://webdock.io/en/docs/how-guides/javascript-guides/what-pm2-and-why-your-node-app-needs-it
[18] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76109076/pm2-not-running-next-js
[19] https://pm2.io/blog/2018/05/31/PM2-Setup-and-Deployment-with-Ecosystem-Configuration
[20] https://pm2.io/docs/runtime/best-practices/environment-variables/