Section 1.1: Automatic Code Reloading

Node.js has introduced an experimental feature since late 2022 that enables automatic code reloading upon detecting changes in the filesystem. By using the --watch command-line flag, developers can avoid the hassle of external tools like nodemon. For instance, you can run the following command:

node --watch watch1.js

The watch1.js file can be as simple as:

console.log('Watch me!', new Date());

When this script is executed, any modifications will trigger Node.js to automatically restart the script, providing a helpful restart message and clearing the terminal screen.

Additionally, the --watch-path parameter allows you to monitor changes in other files. If you have a script that reads from a notes.txt file, you can set it up like this:

import fs from 'fs';

let text = fs.readFileSync('./notes.txt', 'utf8');

console.log(Contents of file:n${text});

You can monitor changes to notes.txt with the command:

node --watch-path notes.txt --watch watch2.js

This setup ensures that modifications to either your JavaScript scripts or the notes.txt file will trigger an automatic reload.

The first video titled "10 Node.js runtime features you SHOULD be using in 2024" provides an overview of essential Node.js features that can enhance your development workflow.

Section 1.2: Simplified Environment Variable Loading

The release of Node.js version 20.6.0 introduced the --env-file flag, which allows developers to load environment variables directly from a .env file without requiring the dotenv library. Consider an .env file structured as follows:

MILKSHAKE=brings all the boys to the yard

A simple Node.js program can then be executed with:

console.log(process.env.MILKSHAKE);

Run the program using:

node --env-file .env env1.js

With the subsequent release of Node.js v21.7.0, this process has become even more straightforward with the introduction of the process.loadEnvFile() method. This method simplifies loading .env files to a single command:

process.loadEnvFile();

console.log(process.env.MILKSHAKE);

Section 2.1: Colorful Console Outputs

Node.js version 21.7.0 also introduced enhanced support for styled console outputs. Developers can easily add colors and styles to console messages through the styleText method in the node:util module. For example:

import { styleText } from 'node:util';

console.log(styleText('red', 'Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!'));

console.log(styleText('yellow', 'Nine Princes of Amber'));

console.log(styleText('green', 'All systems are nominal.'));

This will improve visibility and help differentiate between various types of messages. Furthermore, you can customize the appearance with background colors and "bright" variants:

console.log(styleText('bgRed', 'Error, error Will Robinson!'));

console.log(styleText('redBright', 'Error, error Will Robinson!'));

You can also combine text and background styles:

console.log(styleText('bold', styleText('red', 'Error, error Will Robinson!')));

These features are just a few of the valuable enhancements in Node.js that I’ve recently discovered. I hope you find them helpful as well. If you have additional interesting Node.js features to share, please leave your suggestions in the comments!

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