PM2 is a production process manager designed primarily for Node.js and Bun applications.
It keeps applications running, automatically restarts failed processes and provides a command-line interface for managing application lifecycles.
The software includes a built-in load balancer, zero-downtime reloads, process monitoring, log management and startup-script generation. Although focused on JavaScript runtimes, PM2 can also launch Python and Ruby scripts, shell commands and executable binaries.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Starts, stops, restarts and removes managed applications.
- Automatically restarts applications after crashes.
- Supports Node.js, Bun and other executable programs.
- Provides a built-in load balancer for Node.js applications.
- Runs multiple application instances in cluster mode.
- Supports zero-downtime application reloads.
- Offers terminal-based process and resource monitoring.
- Provides consolidated and configurable log management.
- Generates startup scripts for systemd, OpenRC and other init systems.
- Restores saved process lists after a system restart.
- Includes a production-oriented runtime for containers.
- Supports ecosystem configuration files for managing multiple applications.
Website: github.com/Unitech/pm2
Support:
Developer: Alexandre Strzelewicz
License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0

PM2 is written in JavaScript. Learn JavaScript with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Terminal-Based Process Managers | |
|---|---|
| PM2 | Production runtime for keeping Node.js and Bun applications online |
| Pueue | Queue and schedule long-running shell commands in the background |
| Overmind | Run Procfile-based applications through tmux with clean output |
| Process Compose | Schedule and orchestrate non-containerized application stacks |
| prox | Supervise applications with live metrics, logs and a polished TUI |
| Procman | Procfile dashboard with live logs and interactive terminals |
| OxMgr | Lightweight Rust supervisor with health checks and crash recovery |
| Overitall | Control Procfile services and explore logs from one terminal |
| proctmux | Run and control long-lived commands from a searchable TUI |
| gob | Daemon-backed CLI and TUI for developers and coding agents |
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