PM2 vs Supervisord: What are the differences?

PM2 and Supervisord are process management tools for Node.js and Python applications, respectively. Let's explore the key differences between them.

1. Startup script management: PM2 provides better support for managing startup scripts compared to Supervisord. It allows users to easily generate init system scripts and manage them with just a few commands. On the other hand, Supervisord does not have built-in support for generating startup scripts, requiring users to manually create and maintain them.

2. Logging capabilities: PM2 offers robust logging capabilities out of the box. It automatically logs process stdout and stderr to separate files, allowing for easy debugging and monitoring. In contrast, Supervisord does not provide built-in log handling, requiring users to configure and manage log files manually.

3. Monitoring and dashboard: PM2 has a feature-rich and user-friendly dashboard that provides real-time monitoring of processes. It allows users to view CPU and memory usage, restart or stop processes, and monitor various other metrics. Supervisord, on the other hand, lacks a graphical user interface for managing and monitoring processes, making it less convenient to monitor the application's performance.

4. Automatic process recovery: One of the notable differences between PM2 and Supervisord is the automatic process recovery feature. PM2 can automatically restart crashed or errored processes, ensuring high availability and minimizing downtime. While Supervisord offers process management, it does not handle automatic restarts by default, requiring users to implement additional measures for process recovery.

5. Configuration flexibility: PM2 offers a higher degree of configuration flexibility compared to Supervisord. It provides a wide range of options to fine-tune process behavior, such as specifying environment variables, resource limits, and execution flags. Supervisord, on the other hand, has a relatively limited set of configuration options, with less control over process-specific settings.

6. Community and ecosystem: PM2 has a larger and more active community compared to Supervisord. It is a popular choice among Node.js developers and has a vibrant ecosystem with extensive documentation, tutorials, and support. Supervisord, while still widely used, may have a smaller community and ecosystem, resulting in potentially limited resources and community-driven modules.

In summary, PM2 is tailored for Node.js applications, providing a feature-rich environment with load balancing, while Supervisord is a versatile solution for managing various types of processes in Python applications.