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Run/Debug Configuration: Node.js

Last modified: 13 February 2023

Required plugins:

JavaScript and TypeScript, JavaScript Debugger -  The plugins are bundled with AppCode and enabled by default.

Node.js -  Install the plugin on the Settings | Plugins page, tab Marketplace.

Create: Run | Edit Configurations | Add New Configuration | Node.js

warning

The dialog is available only when the Node.js plugin is installed and enabled on the Settings | Plugins page as described in Managing plugins.

The following Node.js versions are supported in AppCode 2020.3 and later:

  • Node.js 14

  • Node.js 16 - the Active Long Term Supported (LTS) version

  • Node.js 18 - the current version

Learn more from Supported Node.js versions.

In this dialog, create configurations for starting the debugger together with your Node.js applications on your computer.

Before you start

Configuration tab

tip

To use a Node.js on WSL by default in all run/debug configurations in this project, choose it as the default project node interpreter.

tip

Configuring remote Node.js interpreters is available only when the Node.js Remote Interpreter plugin is installed and enabled. The Node.js Remote Interpreter plugin is not bundled with AppCode, but it can be installed on the Settings | Plugins page, tab Marketplace, as described in Installing plugins from JetBrains repository.

tip

AppCode copies package.json to the /tmp/project_modules folder in the image, runs npm install, and then copies the modules to the project folder in the container. Consequently, changing package.json in the project results in re-building the image.

Item

Description

Node interpreter

In this field, specify the Node.js interpreter to use. This can be a local or remote Node.js interpreter. Select an interpreter from the list or click the Browse button and configure a new one in the dialog that opens.

Node parameters

In this field, type the Node.js-specific command-line options to be passed to the Node.js executable file. The most common options are:

  • Use --require coffeescript/register to have CoffeeScript files compiled into JavaScript on the fly during run.

    This mode requires that the register.js file, which is a part of the coffeescript package, is located inside your project. Therefore make sure you have the coffeescript package installed locally as described in Install the CoffeeScript compiler.

  • Use --inspect or --inspect-brk parameter when you are using Node.js v7 for Chrome Debugging Protocol support. Otherwise, by default the debug process will use V8 Debugging Protocol.

For a full list, see Node.js command-line options.

Working directory

In this field, specify the working directory of the application. By default, the field shows the project root folder.

JavaScript file

In this field, specify the path to the main file of the application that starts it (for example, bin/www for Express applications).

If you are going to debug CoffeeScript, specify the path to the generated JavaScript file with source maps. The file can be generated externally or through compilation using File Watchers. For more details, see Debugging CoffeeScript.

Environment variables

In this field, specify the environment variables for the Node.js executable file, if applicable. Click Browse the Browse button to the right of the field and configure a list of variables in the Environment Variables dialog, that opens:

  • To define a new variable, click the Add button and specify the variable name and value.

  • To discard a variable definition, select it in the list and click the Remove button.

  • Click OK, when ready

The definitions of variables are displayed in the Environment variables read-only field with semicolons as separators, for example:

  • NODE_PATH: A :-separated list of directories prefixed to the module search path.

  • NODE_MODULE_CONTEXTS: Set to 1 to load modules in their own global contexts.

  • NODE_DISABLE_COLORS: Set to 1 to disable colors in the REPL.

Docker container settings

This read-only field shows port and volume bindings. Click the Expand button to open the command preview.

warning

This field only appears when a Docker-based remote interpreter is selected.

Node.js with Docker: run/debug configuration, Docker container settings

Docker Compose

In this area, specify the commands and options to be passed to Docker Compose. Accept the default settings or click the Expand button and specify custom ones, for example, custom Docker Compose flags, like --rm or --service-ports. Learn more from the Docker official website

Check the Command Preview.

warning

This field only appears when a remote interpreter via Docker Compose is selected.

Browser / Live Edit tab

In this tab, configure the behaviour of the browser and enable debugging the client-side code of the application. This functionality is provided through a JavaScript Debug run configuration, so technically, AppCode creates separate run configurations for the server-side and the client-side code, but you specify all your settings in one dedicated Node.js run configuration.

Open browser

In the field in this area, specify a project HTML file to create a correct URL to this file according to the project root to be started on the built-in web server. For example, if you choose project_root/inner_folder/index.html the resulting URL will be http://localhost:63342/project_root/inner_folder/index.html. If you select the After Launch checkbox, the browser will open this page automatically after the application starts. Alternatively you can view the same result by opening the page with this URL address in the browser of your choice manually.

After launch

Select this checkbox to automatically open the browser. From the list, select the browser to use:

  • To use the system default browser, select Default.

  • To use a custom browser, select it from the list. Note that debugging of JavaScript client-side code is only supported in Google Chrome and in other Chromium-based browsers.

  • To configure browsers, click the Browse button and adjust the settings in the Web Browsers and Preview dialog that opens. For more information, see Web browsers.

with JavaScript debugger

Select this checkbox to enable debugging the client-side code in the selected browser.

V8 Profiling tab

In this tab, enable V8 CPU and memory profiling.

Item

Description

Record CPU profiling info

Select this checkbox to start logging the CPU profiling data when the application is launched. The controls in the area below become enabled. Specify the following:

  • Log folder: in this field, specify the folder to store recorded logs in. Profiling data are stored in log files isolate-<session number>.

  • One log file for all isolates (V8 instances): select this checkbox to create only one log file (and accordingly one profiling results view) for all V8 instances. Clear the checkbox to create a separate file for each instance. Node.js can create an additional V8 instance, e.g. for a debugging process.

Allow taking heap snapshots

Select this checkbox if you are going to run memory profiling.

Common settings

When you edit a run configuration (but not a run configuration template), you can specify the following options:

Name

Specify a name for the run configuration to quickly identify it among others when editing or running.

Allow multiple instances

Allow running multiple instances of this run configuration in parallel.

By default, it is disabled, and when you start this configuration while another instance is still running, AppCode suggests stopping the running instance and starting another one. This is helpful when a run configuration consumes a lot of resources and there is no good reason to run multiple instances.

Store as project file

Save the file with the run configuration settings to share it with other team members. The default location is .idea/runConfigurations. However, if you do not want to share the .idea directory, you can save the configuration to any other directory within the project.

By default, it is disabled, and AppCode stores run configuration settings in .idea/workspace.xml.

Toolbar

The tree view of run/debug configurations has a toolbar that helps you manage configurations available in your project as well as adjust default configurations templates.

Item

Shortcut

Description

the Add button

Alt+Insert

Create a run/debug configuration.

the Remove button

Alt+Delete

Delete the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you cannot delete default configurations.

Copy

Ctrl+D

Create a copy of the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you create copies of default configurations.

Save configuration

The button is displayed only when you select a temporary configuration. Click this button to save a temporary configuration as permanent.

Move into new folder / Create new folder

Move into new folder / Create new folder. You can group run/debug configurations by placing them into folders.

To create a folder, select the configurations within a category, click Folder, and specify the folder name. If only a category is in focus, an empty folder is created.

Then, to move a configuration into a folder, between the folders or out of a folder, use drag or Move Up and Move Down buttons.

To remove grouping, select a folder and click Remove Configuration.

Sort configurations

Click this button to sort configurations in the alphabetical order.

Before launch

In this area, you can specify tasks to be performed before starting the selected run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.

Item

Shortcut

Description

the Add button

Alt+Insert

Click this icon to add one of the following available tasks:

  • Launch Web Browser: select this option to have a browser started. In the dialog that opens, select the type of the browser and provide the start URL. Also, specify if you want the browser be launched with JavaScript debugger.

  • Run External tool: select to run an external application. In the dialog that opens, select one or multiple applications you want to run. If it is not defined in AppCode yet, add its definition. For more information, see External tools and External Tools.

  • Run Another Configuration: select to execute another run/debug configuration and wait until it finishes before starting the current configuration. If you want to run several configurations in parallel, use a compound run/debug configuration.

  • Run Grunt task: select this option to run a Grunt task.

    In the Grunt task dialog that opens, specify the Gruntfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Grunt tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the grunt-cli package.

  • Run Gulp task: select this option to run a Gulp task.

    In the Gulp task dialog that opens, specify the Gulpfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Gulp tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the gulp package.

  • Run npm Script: select this option to execute an npm script.

    In the NPM Script dialog that opens, specify the npm run/debug configuration settings.

  • Compile TypeScript: select to run the built-in TypeScript compiler and thus make sure that all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files. In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors checkbox to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected:

    • If the Check errors checkbox is selected, the compiler will show all the errors and the run configuration will not start.

    • If the Check errors checkbox is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors but the run configuration still will be launched.

  • Generate CoffeeScript Source Maps: select this option to generate the source maps for your CoffeeScript sources. In the dialog that opens, specify where your CoffeeScript source files are located.

the Remove button

Alt+Delete

Click this icon to remove the selected task from the list.

Edit

Enter

Click this icon to edit the selected task. Make the necessary changes in the dialog that opens.

Method up/Method down

Alt+Up/Alt+Down

Click these icons to move the selected task one line up or down in the list. The tasks are performed in the order that they appear in the list.

Show this page

Select this checkbox to show the run/debug configuration settings prior to actually starting the run/debug configuration.

Activate tool window

By default this checkbox is selected and the Run or the Debug tool window opens when you start the run/debug configuration.

Otherwise, if the checkbox is cleared, the tool window is hidden. However, when the configuration is running, you can open the corresponding tool window for it yourself by pressing Alt+4 or Alt+5.