Overview of Child Processes in Node.js
Child processes in Node.js allow you to execute other applications or scripts within your Node.js application. This is particularly useful for performing CPU-intensive operations, managing subprocesses, or executing commands.
The child_process Module
Both spawn() and fork() are part of the child_process module in Node.js, which provides various methods to create and control child processes. To use these methods, you first need to require the module:
const { spawn, fork } = require('child_process');
Difference between spawn() and fork() methods in Node.js
Node.js provides several ways to create child processes, enabling you to run tasks in parallel and leverage multi-core systems efficiently. Two commonly used methods for this purpose are spawn() and fork(). While they might seem similar, they serve different purposes and have distinct features. This article will explore the differences between spawn() and fork() in Node.js.
Table of Content
- Overview of Child Processes in Node.js
- The spawn() Method
- The fork() Method
- Difference between spawn() and fork()
- Conclusion