http.listen() accept terminal commands while running

Question

I have the following in my script:

var server = http.createServer(handleRequest);
server.listen(3000, function(err){
    console.log(err || 'Server listening on 3000');
});

When I execute the script in the terminal:

nodejs file.js

It runs in an endless loop until I hit Ctrl + C. Is it possible to enter custom commands while the process is running since it doesn't go back to the default terminal? I would like to add a few custom commands to my app such as (but not limited to):

stop
reload
restart

I have used the answer to http://stackoverflow.com/questions/696839/how-do-i-write-a-bash-script-to-restart-a-process-if-it-dies to solve this problem. — itdoesntwork, Apr 08 '15 at 00:16
I would like it to call functions within the script though, where reload reloads the configuration file. — Get Off My Lawn, Apr 08 '15 at 00:20

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 08 '15 at 00:32

You can use the process.stdin stream (the data event is fired on newline):

var http = require('http');

var server = http.createServer(function (err, req, res) {
  // ...
});
server.listen(3000, function(err){
    console.log(err || 'Server listening on 3000');
});

var commands = {
  stop: function () {
    console.log('> stop');
  },
  start: function () {
    console.log('> start')
  },
  restart: function () {
    console.log('> restart')
  }
}

process.stdin.on('data', function (data) {
  data = (data + '').trim().toLowerCase();
  if (data in commands) {
    commands[data]();
  }
});

Just for reference nodemon does something similar (it restarts the server when rs is entered source)

This looks like it is doing exactly what I am looking for! – Get Off My Lawn Apr 08 '15 at 00:38 — Get Off My Lawn, Apr 08 '15 at 00:38

http.listen() accept terminal commands while running

1 Answers1