Reload Express.js routes changes without manually restarting server

Question

I tried express-livereload, but it just reloaded view files.

Should I use another tool, or this one can be configured to watch for my index.js file which runs the server?

I read that options are the same as node-livereload, and default for watched files include .js files.

Any URL you know with a simple configuration?

My main problem is how to setup good development environment for Express.js, and I would like to inspect the variables when I am making a request, is painful to restart each time I make a change in a route.

PS I tried node-inspector to inspect variables when server handles a request, but it seems node-inspector is not intended for that, right?

Answer 1

I think Nodemon has what you're looking for.

Nodemon is a utility that will monitor for any changes in your source and automatically restart your server. Perfect for development.

Example invocation:

nodemon index.js 

Answer 2

I use express.js, normally start server by

npm start 

with Nodemon installed, I use

nodemon --exec npm start 

Note: nodemon app.js will NOT work here,

because express.js use start script

To install nodemon

npm install -g nodemon