> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jethings.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# PM2 Setup

> Process management for Node.js apps

## Install PM2 globally

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g pm2@6.0.14
pm2 -v   # 6.0.14
```

## Enable PM2 on boot

```bash theme={null}
pm2 startup
# run the command it outputs (usually sudo env PATH=... pm2 startup systemd -u $USER --hp $HOME)
```

## Example `ecosystem.config.js`

<Note>
  Make sure to have this file in your project root before starting PM2.
</Note>

```javascript theme={null}
module.exports = {
  apps: [
    {
      name: 'j-optic-backend',
      script: 'dist/main.js',
      cwd: '/var/www/j-optic-backend',
      instances: 1,
      autorestart: true,
      env: {
        NODE_ENV: 'production',
      },
      error_file: '/var/log/pm2/j-optic-backend-error.log',
      out_file: '/var/log/pm2/j-optic-backend-out.log',
    },
  ],
}
```

<Warning>
  Give each app a unique `error_file` / `out_file` path. Duplicate log paths across apps will cause PM2 to write mixed/garbled logs.
</Warning>

## Common commands

```bash theme={null}
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
pm2 list
pm2 logs j-optic-backend
pm2 restart j-optic-backend --update-env
pm2 save
```

<Note>
  Since PM2 was installed via nvm-managed npm, it lives under the same Node version's global path. If you switch the default Node version with `nvm alias default`, reinstall PM2 globally under the new version or PM2 commands may stop resolving.
</Note>