PM2 review
A capable Node.js process manager with deeper monitoring in paid tiers.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
PM2 is an open-source daemon process manager for keeping Node.js and other applications online. It supports process actions such as starting, stopping, restarting, reloading, and deleting managed processes, while also providing automatic restarts, startup persistence, resource monitoring, and application logs. It is best suited to teams managing Node.js application processes across Linux, macOS, Windows, or the web dashboard environment.
PM2 uses a freemium model with three published tiers. Runtime provides the open-source process manager, a real-time web interface, zero-downtime reloads, and terminal-based monitoring. Plus adds a web-based monitoring interface, issue and exception tracking, custom metrics, email and Slack notifications, and server health monitoring. Enterprise extends the platform with advanced profiling, transaction tracing, rule-based alerting, custom dashboards, cloud-shared or on-premise installation, and up to one year of data retention. The paid tiers therefore move PM2 from local process control toward centralized monitoring and operational analysis.
Its strongest area is Node.js process lifecycle management. Applications can be restarted after crashes, exits, memory thresholds, file changes, or cron schedules, while cluster mode supports load balancing and zero-downtime reloads. Log streaming includes filtering, timestamps, JSON output, and rotation, and notifications can cover downtime, deployments, issues, and restarts through email, Slack, or webhooks. PM2 also connects with NPM, Yarn, Docker, Heroku, and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. Choose it when process control and Node.js operations are the priority; teams seeking advanced profiling, transaction tracing, or long-term centralized monitoring should consider the higher tiers.
PM2 pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Automatic restarts for crashes, exits, thresholds, file changes, and schedules
- Zero-downtime reloads and cluster-mode load balancing for Node.js
- Logs, reboot persistence, terminal monitoring, and web monitoring options
- Where it doesn't
- Advanced remote monitoring depends on PM2 Plus
- Enterprise capabilities are reserved for the highest tier
- The product is centered on process operations rather than broad observability
PM2 fact sheet, pricing and score →
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