Hot Code Loading in Node.js
In Hot Code Loading in Node.js Blaine Cook describes how to dynamically reload code in node.js projects. He’s created a branch of node.js called hotload that provides the feature.
Hot code loading uses sandboxes and caching to reload code when it changes. If you had a web app and updated some files, it would automatically reload the code for new requests.
His example looks like this:
var requestHandler = require('./myRequestHandler');
process.watchFile('./myRequestHandler', function () {
module.unCacheModule('./myRequestHandler');
requestHandler = require('./myRequestHandler');
}
var reqHandlerClosure = function (req, res) {
requestHandler.handle(req, res);
}
http.createServer(reqHandlerClosure).listen(8000);
Strictly speaking it’s not as advanced as the way Erlang behaves, but it could ease deployment and avoid abrupt process reloading.