Node-RED 系列（8）-- Using PM2 to keep Node-RED running on Windows

Node-RED running on Windows

Once installed, the simple way to run Node-RED is to use the node-red command in a command prompt. If you have installed Node-RED as a global npm package, you can use the node-red command:

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This will output the Node-RED log to the terminal. You must keep the terminal open in order to keep Node-RED running.

Why using PM2

If you are using Windows to develop Node-Red flows or nodes, you may find it helpful to use PM2 to run Node-RED. This can be configured to automatically restart when files change, always keep Node-RED running and manage log output.

PM2 is a process manager for Node applications with monitoring, load balancing, automatic restart etc.
And it's perfect when you want to take your individual code and use all the CPUs on all the servers and keep the process alive forever.

Steps to using PM2 to keep Node-RED running on Windows

1. Install PM2
   Execute the following at the command prompt:
   npm install –g –unsafe-perm pm2
   

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2. Install and config pm2-windows-service
   Execute the following at the command prompt:
   npm i –g pm2-windows-service
   

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3. Add environment variables for PM2

   
   
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4. Install PM2 Service
   Open command line as administrator and execute below command
   pm2-service-install
   Tips: choose 'N' and continue, and then PM2 service install successfully
   

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5. Locate the Node-RED red.js File and add it to PM2
   Execute the following at the command prompt:
   pm2 start C:\Users\[replace with your user folder]\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-red\red.js –n node-red
   

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6. Save configuration
   Execute the following at the command prompt:
   pm2 save
   

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7. Check status
   Execute the following at the command prompt:
   pm2 status
pm2 info
pm2 show
   

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8. Restart pc and check PM2 status
   pm2 status
   

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That's all.
Hope this can help you!