{"id":13641,"library":"node-process","title":"Node Process","description":"node-process is a utility library for Node.js applications designed to simplify the management of sub-processes, enabling multi-threading and background task execution. Currently at version 1.0.1, its initial \"LIVE ready\" release suggests an active but relatively young project without a well-established release cadence yet. The library wraps Node.js's native `child_process.fork` functionality, abstracting away some complexities and offering a promise-based API for handling responses and errors. A key differentiator is its ability to manage both short-lived, single-response processes and \"sticky\" processes that remain open indefinitely until the main thread terminates, facilitating continuous background operations or long-running services. Communication between parent and child processes relies on `process.send`, with specific options for maintaining open connections in sticky processes. This simplifies common patterns for offloading CPU-intensive tasks or running concurrent operations without blocking the event loop, providing a more approachable alternative to direct `child_process` API usage.","status":"active","version":"1.0.1","language":"javascript","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/segsalerty2013/node-process","tags":["javascript","node","nodejs","electron","process","child_process","fork","multi-threading","threading"],"install":[{"cmd":"npm install node-process","lang":"bash","label":"npm"},{"cmd":"yarn add node-process","lang":"bash","label":"yarn"},{"cmd":"pnpm add node-process","lang":"bash","label":"pnpm"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"note":"This library is primarily designed for CommonJS environments. Direct ESM `import` may not work without a bundler or specific Node.js `--experimental-modules` configuration.","wrong":"import node_process from 'node_process';","symbol":"node_process","correct":"let node_process = require('node_process');"},{"note":"`fork` is a method of the object returned by `require('node_process')`, not a named export.","wrong":"import { fork } from 'node-process';","symbol":"fork","correct":"node_process.fork('path', args, keepOpen)"},{"note":"`process.send` is a global Node.js API available within a forked child process, used to send messages back to the parent. It should not be called on the `node_process` object in the parent.","wrong":"node_process.send(message)","symbol":"process.send","correct":"process.send(message, handle, options)"}],"quickstart":{"code":"const node_process = require('node_process');\n\n// Example 1: One sub-process/thread that resolves once\nnode_process.fork('path_to_your_module.js', ['arg1', 'arg2'], true)\n.then((response) => {\n    // response is string|object sent from the module back to the main thread\n    // using process.send('string|object');\n    console.log('One-time process response:', response);\n})\n.catch((error) => {\n    console.error('One-time process error:', error);\n});\n\n// Example 2: A sticky process/thread that never ends until main thread is dead\n// The child module must call process.send(data, null, {keepOpen:true}); to remain open\nnode_process.fork('path_to_another_module.js', ['config_path'], false)\n.then((response) => {\n    // For sticky processes, this 'then' block is executed on *each* message from the child\n    // as long as the child sends with {keepOpen:true}\n    console.log('Sticky process message:', response);\n})\n.catch((error) => {\n    console.error('Sticky process error:', error);\n});\n\n/* Example content for 'path_to_your_module.js' or 'path_to_another_module.js':\n\nprocess.on('message', (message) => {\n    console.log('Child received:', message);\n    // Perform some task\n    const result = { status: 'done', data: 'Processed: ' + message[0] };\n    // For one-time process, process.send(result); is enough.\n    // For sticky, use: process.send(result, null, {keepOpen: true});\n    process.send(result, null, { keepOpen: true }); \n});\n*/","lang":"javascript","description":"Demonstrates how to fork both a single-execution sub-process and a 'sticky' long-running background process, including basic inter-process communication."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Ensure the path passed to `fork` is correct and fully qualified, or relative to the current working directory of the main process.","message":"The `path_to_valid_module` argument for `node_process.fork` must be an absolute path or a path resolvable relative to `process.cwd()`. Incorrect paths will lead to `MODULE_NOT_FOUND` errors.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"},{"fix":"Only send JSON-serializable data between processes. If complex objects are needed, serialize them manually (e.g., to strings or simpler objects) before sending.","message":"Data sent between parent and child processes via `process.send` is serialized using JSON. Complex JavaScript objects (like functions, Symbols, or non-enumerable properties) will not be transmitted correctly and may lead to data loss or errors.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"},{"fix":"Implement robust `try...catch` blocks within your child modules and ensure any errors are caught and explicitly sent back to the parent process using `process.send({ error: errorMessage })`.","message":"Errors originating within the forked child module might not automatically propagate to the parent's `.catch()` block if not explicitly handled and sent back via `process.send`.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"},{"fix":"For long-running sticky processes, implement a mechanism for graceful shutdown (e.g., listening for a 'terminate' message from the parent) to release resources when they are no longer needed.","message":"Using 'sticky' processes (where `keepOpen` is `false` or `process.send` is used with `{ keepOpen: true }` in the child) requires careful resource management. These processes will consume system resources indefinitely until the main parent process exits, or they are explicitly terminated.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":">=1.0.0"}],"env_vars":null,"search_vec":"'1.0.1':33 'abil':83 'abstract':62 'activ':41 'altern':157 'api':72,162 'applic':12 'approach':156 'away':63 'background':27,108 'base':71 'block':149 'cadenc':52 'child':119,160,169 'child_process.fork':60 'common':136 'communic':115 'complex':65 'concurr':146 'connect':130 'continu':107 'cpu':141 'cpu-intens':140 'current':30 'design':13 'differenti':80 'direct':159 'electron':167 'enabl':22 'error':77 'establish':50 'event':151 'execut':29 'facilit':106 'fork':171 'function':61 'handl':74 'indefinit':100 'initi':35 'intens':142 'javascript':164 'key':79 'librari':9,55 'live':36,89 'long':112 'long-run':111 'loop':152 'main':103 'maintain':128 'manag':17,85 'multi':24,173 'multi-thread':23,172 'nativ':59 'node':1,4,165 'node-process':3 'node.js':11,57 'nodej':166 'offer':67 'offload':139 'open':99,129 'oper':109,147 'option':126 'parent':117 'pattern':137 'process':2,5,21,93,96,120,133,161,168,170 'process.send':123 'project':45 'promis':70 'promise-bas':69 'provid':153 'readi':37 'relat':43 'releas':38,51 'reli':121 'remain':98 'respons':75,92 'run':113,145 'servic':114 'short':88 'short-liv':87 'simplifi':15,135 'singl':91 'single-respons':90 'specif':125 'sticki':95,132 'sub':20 'sub-process':19 'suggest':39 'task':28,143 'termin':105 'thread':25,104,174,175 'usag':163 'util':8 'version':32 'well':49 'well-establish':48 'without':46,148 'wrap':56 'yet':53 'young':44","created_at":"2026-04-20T01:55:32.947210+00:00","updated_at":"2026-04-20T01:55:32.947210+00:00","problems":[{"fix":"Verify the path to the child module is correct and accessible. Use `path.resolve(__dirname, 'your_module.js')` for robustness.","cause":"The path provided to `node_process.fork` is incorrect or the module does not exist at the specified location.","error":"Error: Cannot find module 'path_to_your_module.js'"},{"fix":"Ensure you are using `let node_process = require('node_process');` and calling it as `node_process.fork(...)`. Do not attempt `import { fork } from 'node-process'`.","cause":"The `node_process` module was not correctly imported or its `fork` method is being called incorrectly.","error":"TypeError: node_process.fork is not a function"},{"fix":"Check the child module's code for unhandled exceptions. Ensure `process.send(data)` is called by the child process when it has a message or result to send back to the parent.","cause":"The forked child module either crashed internally due to an unhandled error, or it completed its execution without calling `process.send()` to communicate a result.","error":"Child process exits unexpectedly without sending a response."}],"ecosystem":"npm","meta_description":null,"install_score":null,"quickstart_score":null,"quickstart_tag":null,"pypi_latest":null,"cli_name":"","cli_version":null,"type":"library","homepage":null,"github":"https://github.com/segsalerty2013/node-process","docs":null,"changelog":null,"pypi":null,"npm":"https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-process","openapi_spec":null,"status_page":null,"smithery":null,"categories":["devops","http-networking"],"base_url":null,"auth_type":null,"provenance":{"verified_status":null,"verified_at":null,"last_verified":"2026-06-17","next_check":"2026-07-18","install_tag":null}}