@ionic/utils-subprocess

What is @ionic/utils-subprocess?

@ionic/utils-subprocess is a utility package designed to facilitate the execution and management of subprocesses in Node.js applications. It provides a set of tools to spawn, manage, and interact with child processes, making it easier to handle tasks that require running external commands or scripts.

What are @ionic/utils-subprocess's main functionalities?

Spawning a Subprocess

This feature allows you to spawn a new subprocess to run a command. In this example, the 'ls -la' command is executed, and the output is logged to the console.

const { spawn } = require('@ionic/utils-subprocess');

async function runCommand() {
  const subprocess = spawn('ls', ['-la']);
  subprocess.stdout.on('data', (data) => {
    console.log(`stdout: ${data}`);
  });
  subprocess.stderr.on('data', (data) => {
    console.error(`stderr: ${data}`);
  });
  const code = await subprocess;
  console.log(`Child process exited with code ${code}`);
}

runCommand();

Handling Subprocess Output

This feature demonstrates how to handle the output of a subprocess. In this example, the 'node -v' command is executed to get the Node.js version, and the output is captured and logged.

const { spawn } = require('@ionic/utils-subprocess');

async function runCommand() {
  const subprocess = spawn('node', ['-v']);
  let output = '';
  subprocess.stdout.on('data', (data) => {
    output += data;
  });
  const code = await subprocess;
  console.log(`Node.js version: ${output.trim()}`);
}

runCommand();

Error Handling in Subprocess

This feature shows how to handle errors when spawning a subprocess. In this example, an attempt is made to run a nonexistent command, and the error is caught and logged.

const { spawn } = require('@ionic/utils-subprocess');

async function runCommand() {
  try {
    const subprocess = spawn('nonexistent-command');
    subprocess.stdout.on('data', (data) => {
      console.log(`stdout: ${data}`);
    });
    subprocess.stderr.on('data', (data) => {
      console.error(`stderr: ${data}`);
    });
    const code = await subprocess;
    console.log(`Child process exited with code ${code}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(`Failed to start subprocess: ${error.message}`);
  }
}

runCommand();

Other packages similar to @ionic/utils-subprocess

child_process

The 'child_process' module is a core Node.js module that provides the ability to spawn child processes. It offers similar functionalities to @ionic/utils-subprocess, such as spawning subprocesses, handling their output, and managing errors. However, @ionic/utils-subprocess provides a more user-friendly API and additional utilities for managing subprocesses.

execa

Execa is a popular npm package for executing shell commands in Node.js. It provides a promise-based API and additional features like improved error handling and better support for cross-platform compatibility. Compared to @ionic/utils-subprocess, Execa offers a more modern and feature-rich API for managing subprocesses.

cross-spawn

Cross-spawn is an npm package that provides a cross-platform solution for spawning child processes. It addresses issues with the default 'child_process' module on Windows and offers a consistent API for spawning subprocesses across different operating systems. While @ionic/utils-subprocess also aims to simplify subprocess management, cross-spawn focuses specifically on cross-platform compatibility.

README

@ionic/utils-process