The purpose of the pm2 save command in PM2, a popular process manager for Node.js applications, is to save the current state of running processes managed by PM2 to disk. This functionality is crucial for ensuring that these processes can be automatically restarted after a system reboot or when PM2 is restarted, without requiring manual intervention.
When you execute pm2 save, PM2 takes a snapshot of all currently running Node.js applications and dumps this list into a file located at ~/.pm2/dump.pm2[1][3][4]. This saved file contains all necessary information to restore the running state of these applications later using the pm2 resurrect command.
The primary benefit of using pm2 save is its role in enhancing the reliability and resilience of application deployment. By saving the process list, developers and system administrators can automate the restart of applications upon system reboots or PM2 restarts, which is particularly useful in production environments where downtime needs to be minimized[1][3][4].
