Wave Goodbye to Nodemon: A New Era in Node.js Development
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Chapter 1: A Bright New Start
Greetings, everyone! I'm excited to share some fantastic news that I believe will uplift your spirits.
For those of you in front-end development, here's a game-changer: with the launch of Node.js 18, the reliance on nodemon is about to become a thing of the past. Although I appreciate nodemon for its significant role in boosting my productivity while coding in Node.js, it's time for a farewell.
Why did we ever rely on nodemon? According to nodemon.io, simply use nodemon instead of node to run your applications, and it automatically restarts when your code changes. For instance, if you're crafting a complex utility function, executing nodemon test.js is the way to go instead of node test.js.
Of course, the first step involves installing nodemon, which is quite simple—just run the following command:
npm install -g nodemon
Here's a quick example:
const fn = (name) => {
console.log(name);
}
fn('fatfish');
If I update fn('fatfish') to fn('medium'), nodemon automatically re-runs the code for me. It's such a handy tool—let's raise a glass to nodemon!
Section 1.1: The Shift Away from Nodemon
So, why are we moving on from nodemon?
Well, my friend, by upgrading to Node.js version 18.11.0 or later, you can take advantage of a remarkable new feature. With the command:
node --watch test.js
When I change fn('fatfish') to fn('medium'), Node.js re-executes the code seamlessly, making nodemon redundant.
Subsection 1.1.1: Using Node.js with Watch
While Node.js can effectively replace nodemon, it's essential to append --watch to replicate the same functionality.
Is there a more concise option than typing node --watch test.js? Absolutely!
We can easily streamline this by following two steps:
Step 1: Update Your Shell Configuration
If you're using Bash, run:
vi ~/.bashrc
or
vi ~/.bash_profile
For zsh users, execute:
vi ~/.zshrc
Add the following alias:
alias node="node --watch"
Step 2: Activate the Configuration File
To implement the changes, run:
source ~/.zshrc
Let's give it a try, shall we?
Chapter 2: Embracing the Change
In this video titled "Bye Bye Nodemon!," we delve deeper into the transition away from nodemon and explore the exciting features of Node.js 18.
This second video, "Goodbye nodemon, trying out integrated node watch," showcases practical examples of using the new integrated watch functionality in Node.js.