debug a nodejs process without inspect flags.

thebugger ·

Note: works only on node version 8 or bigger

The problem

Debugging currently requires proving the main node process flags like --inspect and/or --inspect-brk.

It works great, but most of the times I don't have full control over the process flags because I'm executing the process through a wrapper, generally jest, mocha or gulp and so many others.

This module opens the inspector and stops the process when thebugger() is called, allowing folks to debug any nodejs process without having to pass any flags.

Usage

Install thebugger as a dev dependency:

npm i --save-dev thebugger
# or
yarn add --dev thebugger

Add thebugger() to the line of code you want to start debugging, which is where you'd add a debugger; statement.

require('thebugger')();

Wait untill your nodejs process prints:

Debugger listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9222/038a3e89-b497-4558-9709-6a3da5ec3803
For help see https://nodejs.org/en/docs/inspector

Now you can open any Chrome DevTools and click on the . Further instructions at: https://medium.com/@paul_irish/debugging-node-js-nightlies-with-chrome-devtools-7c4a1b95ae27

You also can use any DevTools frontend of your preference.