Node.js child_process Module Guide

The child_process module enables spawning and managing child processes. Here's how to use it effectively.

Best Practices#

Method Selection:
✓ spawn for streams/long-running
✓ exec for shell commands
✓ execFile for security
✓ fork for Node.js IPC

Error Handling:
✓ Listen for 'error' event
✓ Check exit codes
✓ Handle signals
✓ Implement timeouts

Performance:
✓ Use process pools
✓ Avoid sync methods in servers
✓ Stream large outputs
✓ Limit concurrent processes

Security:
✓ Use execFile for user input
✓ Validate command arguments
✓ Set appropriate timeouts
✓ Limit maxBuffer

Avoid:
✗ Shell injection with exec
✗ Sync methods in async code
✗ Ignoring errors
✗ Orphan processes

The child_process module provides multiple ways to spawn processes: spawn for streaming, exec for shell commands, execFile for direct execution, and fork for Node.js IPC. Choose the appropriate method based on your needs, handle errors properly, and be mindful of security when dealing with user input. For CPU-intensive tasks, consider process pools to maximize throughput while managing resources effectively.

Node.js child_process Module Guide

spawn()#

exec()#

execFile()#

fork()#

stdio Configuration#

Stream Processing#

Process Pool#

Error Handling#

Shell Commands#

execSync and spawnSync#

Best Practices#

Conclusion#

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