Execute and get the output of a shell command in node.js

Question

This is the method I'm using in a project I am currently working on.

var exec = require('child_process').exec;
function execute(command, callback){
    exec(command, function(error, stdout, stderr){ callback(stdout); });
};

Example of retrieving a git user:

module.exports.getGitUser = function(callback){
    execute("git config --global user.name", function(name){
        execute("git config --global user.email", function(email){
            callback({ name: name.replace("\n", ""), email: email.replace("\n", "") });
        });
    });
};

If you're using node later than 7.6 and you don't like the callback style, you can also use node-util's promisify function with async / await to get shell commands which read cleanly. Here's an example of the accepted answer, using this technique:

const { promisify } = require('util');
const exec = promisify(require('child_process').exec)

module.exports.getGitUser = async function getGitUser () {
  // Exec output contains both stderr and stdout outputs
  const nameOutput = await exec('git config --global user.name')
  const emailOutput = await exec('git config --global user.email')

  return { 
    name: nameOutput.stdout.trim(), 
    email: emailOutput.stdout.trim()
  }
};

This also has the added benefit of returning a rejected promise on failed commands, which can be handled with try / catch inside the async code.

You're looking for child_process

var exec = require('child_process').exec;
var child;

child = exec(command,
   function (error, stdout, stderr) {
      console.log('stdout: ' + stdout);
      console.log('stderr: ' + stderr);
      if (error !== null) {
          console.log('exec error: ' + error);
      }
   });

---

As pointed out by Renato, there are some synchronous exec packages out there now too, see sync-exec that might be more what yo're looking for. Keep in mind though, node.js is designed to be a single threaded high performance network server, so if that's what you're looking to use it for, stay away from sync-exec kinda stuff unless you're only using it during startup or something.

Requirements

This will require Node.js 7 or later with a support for Promises and Async/Await.

Solution

Create a wrapper function that leverage promises to control the behavior of the child_process.exec command.

Explanation

Using promises and an asynchronous function, you can mimic the behavior of a shell returning the output, without falling into a callback hell and with a pretty neat API. Using the await keyword, you can create a script that reads easily, while still be able to get the work of child_process.exec done.

Code sample

const childProcess = require("child_process");

/**
 * @param {string} command A shell command to execute
 * @return {Promise<string>} A promise that resolve to the output of the shell command, or an error
 * @example const output = await execute("ls -alh");
 */
function execute(command) {
  /**
   * @param {Function} resolve A function that resolves the promise
   * @param {Function} reject A function that fails the promise
   * @see https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise
   */
  return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
    /**
     * @param {Error} error An error triggered during the execution of the childProcess.exec command
     * @param {string|Buffer} standardOutput The result of the shell command execution
     * @param {string|Buffer} standardError The error resulting of the shell command execution
     * @see https://nodejs.org/api/child_process.html#child_process_child_process_exec_command_options_callback
     */
    childProcess.exec(command, function(error, standardOutput, standardError) {
      if (error) {
        reject();

        return;
      }

      if (standardError) {
        reject(standardError);

        return;
      }

      resolve(standardOutput);
    });
  });
}

Usage

async function main() {
  try {
    const passwdContent = await execute("cat /etc/passwd");

    console.log(passwdContent);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error.toString());
  }

  try {
    const shadowContent = await execute("cat /etc/shadow");

    console.log(shadowContent);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error.toString());
  }
}

main();

Sample Output

root:x:0:0::/root:/bin/bash
[output trimmed, bottom line it succeeded]

Error: Command failed: cat /etc/shadow
cat: /etc/shadow: Permission denied

Try it online.

Repl.it.

External resources

Promises.

child_process.exec.

Node.js support table.