Methods to run a Node Project

There are various ways to run a Node.js project, but some common methods are:

Using the node Command:

Using NPM Scripts:
In your package.json file, you can define scripts that automate various tasks, including starting your Node.js application.
Add a “scripts” section in your package.json:
“scripts”: { “start”: “node app.js” }
Run the following command to start your Node.js application using the defined script:
npm start
This method is more common in larger projects.
Additionally, tools like nodemon are often used during development to automatically restart the Node.js server when changes are detected.

Using Nodemon:
Nodemon is a utility that monitors for changes in files and automatically restarts the Node.js application.
nodemon app.js
If you don’t have nodemon installed globally, you can install it locally in your project:
npm install –save-dev nodemon
Then, you can add a script to your package.json:
“scripts”: {“start”: “nodemon app.js”}
and run it with :
npm start

Using a Custom Script or www File:
Some projects, especially those built with frameworks like Express.js, may have a custom script or a www file to start the server. In such cases, you can run the application using the custom script or the www file.
node bin/www
node: This is the Node.js runtime executable. It’s used to run JavaScript code outside of a web browser.
bin: This stands for “binary” and often contains executable files. In this context, it likely contains files related to the execution of Node.js applications.
www: This is a common name for a file used to start the server in an Express.js application. Developers often create or modify this file to configure and start the Express.js server.

Example of node/bin file:

var app = require(‘../app’);
var debug = require(‘debug’)(‘your-application-name:server’);
var http = require(‘http’);
var port = normalizePort(process.env.PORT || ‘3000’);
app.set(‘port’, port);
var server = http.createServer(app);
server.listen(port); server.on(‘error’, onError);
server.on(‘listening’, onListening);
function normalizePort(val)
{
var port = parseInt(val, 10);
if (isNaN(port))
{
if (port >= 0)
{
return false;
}
function onError(error)
{
if (error.syscall !== ‘listen’)
{
throw error;
}
}