What is the proper way to debug an npm script using vscode? - node.js

I've got an npm script that I'm trying to debug. I use vscode so I thought I'd create a debug configuration and step through it with the debugger.
My npm script look is:
"scripts": {
...
"dev": "node tasks/runner.js",
}
So I created the following debug config:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch Program",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}",
"runtimeArgs": [
"run", "dev"
],
"port": 5858,
"stopOnEntry": true
}
]
}
And when I fire it the script runs, but vscode is never able to connect and I get the error:
Cannot connect to runtime via 'legacy' protocol; consider using 'inspector' protocol (timeout after 10000 ms).
I tried adding an inspector protocol:
{
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"name": "Attach (Inspector Protocol)",
"port": 9229,
"protocol": "inspector"
}
And running the npm script via:
npm run dev --inspect
And this time I get the error:
Ensure Node was launched with --inspect. Cannot connect to runtime process, timeout after 10000 ms - (reason: Cannot connect to the target: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:9229).
I'm not sure what part I'm missing.
Edit per duplicate tag
I see the other question re: debugging an npm script via vscode, but the details in the other question and answers aren't as detailed and specific. If someone is searching for the specific vscode error messages I ran into or the config type I had they wouldn't necessarily get the level answer detail that this question's chosen answer gives.

You shouldn't try to debug the npm script because what you really want is to attach your debugger to the script that is launched with npm run command (NPM here is used only as a task runner).
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch Program",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/tasks/runner.js"
}
]
}
If you really want to run it using npm script, then you can use the following configuration:
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch via NPM",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"windows": {
"runtimeExecutable": "npm.cmd"
},
"runtimeArgs": [
"run-script",
"dev"
],
"port": 5858
}
but you also have to change your script command (specify a debug port)
"scripts": {
"dev": "node --nolazy --debug-brk=5858 tasks/runner.js"
},
You can explore various debug configurations simply by clicking the gear icon and selecting one.
More about Node.js debugging can be found in the VS Code documentation.

Related

simplifying debugging of next.js (client and server) in VS code

My current method is to run npm run dev in a terminal. which uses cross-env NODE_OPTIONS='--inspect' next dev (i tried it without cross-env and it wont run).
then i attach a node debugger to the running process with the following script in VS code
{
"name": "Attach",
"port": 9229,
"request": "attach",
"skipFiles": [
"<node_internals>/**"
],
"type": "pwa-node",
}
and then finally i launch chrome with another debugger script
{
"name": "Launch Chrome",
"request": "launch",
"type": "pwa-chrome",
"url": "http://localhost:3000",
"webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}"
}
I have tried the solution outlined here and the process don't run.
I have also tried this configuration (both node and node-pwa variants) they run but dont seem to actually do any debugging, nor are there any messages in the console (or debug console).
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch via NPM: node",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"runtimeArgs": [
"run-script",
"dev"
],
"port": 9229,
"skipFiles": [
"<node_internals>/**"
]
}
idealy, i would like to be able to press a single button and have it all launch up for me, currently it is a 3 step process, but i would happily take converting the attach task to a launch task.

VSCode debugger wont attach with Launch via NPM

Im sure this is super simple but I cant seem to get the debugger going with the Launch via NPM vscode template. I have a really simple hello world with an npm script to run the app.
If I run Launch Program (the config that uses just node) everything works perfectly, however if I use Launch via NPM I get
/Users/luke/.nvm/versions/node/v6.5.0/bin/npm --debug-brk=3837 run-script runit
hello-world#1.0.0 runit /Users/luke/source/playground/js/hello-world
node index.js
hello world
And no breakpoints are hit. (Ive also tried with and without "protocol":"legacy")
What am I doing wrong, all the online examples suggest that this should justworkTM.
package.json
{
"name": "hello-world",
"version": "1.0.0",
"scripts": {
"runit": "node index.js"
}
}
launch.json:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch via NPM",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"protocol":"legacy",
"runtimeArgs": [
"run-script",
"runit"
]
},
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch Program",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/index.js"
}
]
}
index.js
console.log('hello world');//with a breakpoint set here
Ok I worked it out...
Launch via NPM requires you to add some extra args into the actual NPM script:
{
"name": "hello-world",
"version": "1.0.0",
"scripts": {
"runit": "node --nolazy --debug-brk=5858 index.js"
}
}

Debugging React/node/express application with VS Code

I'm trying to debug my express application I have configured my IDE based on the vs code (version 1.13) help documentation (s). But when I run the application, the process never stops at the break points.
We are working on a react (redux)/node/express application which uses webpack/babel.
The usual start script starts our application in 3000/8443(secured).
Please find my launch configuration file (launch.json):
{
// Use IntelliSense to learn about possible Node.js debug attributes.
// Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
// For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch via NPM",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"runtimeArgs": [
"start",
"debug"
],
"env": {
"NODE_ENV": "development"
},
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"sourceMaps": true,
"outFiles": ["${workspaceRoot}/dist/*/.js"],
"port": 5858
}
]
}
While starting up, we are getting the following error:
Cannot connect to runtime process, timeout after 10000 ms - (reason:
Cannot connect to the target: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5858).
Did I missed anything here?
I'm using osx (10+) for development
Thanks,
Santhosh
I suggest setting a dev script in your package.json as follows (I included the start script for you to figure out what to write in your 'dev' script:
"scripts": {
"start": "cd dist && node main",
"dev": "cd dist && node --inspect=5858 main"
},
And then configure your launch.json to use that script (which launches npm listening to the debugger):
{
// Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
// Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
// For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch via NPM",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"runtimeArgs": [
"run",
"dev"
],
"port": 5858,
"sourceMaps": true,
"outFiles": [
"${workspaceRoot}/dist/"
],
"cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
},
]
}
Also, don't forget to add devtool: 'sourcemap' to your webpack config, so that the breakpoints get triggered in the source code.

Can Visual Studio Code be configured to launch with nodemon

I have installed nodemon as a global package in my system.
It works when I executed nodemon in cmd.
But when I am using vscode with this launch.json file, vscode throws this exception:
request launch: runtime executable XXX\XXX\XXX\XXX\nodemon does not exists
the launch.json is:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"program": "app.js",
"stopOnEntry": false,
"args": [],
"cwd": ".",
"runtimeExecutable": nodemon,
"runtimeArgs": [
"--nolazy"
],
"env": {
"NODE_ENV": "development"
},
"externalConsole": false,
"preLaunchTask": "",
"sourceMaps": false,
"outDir": null
},
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858
}
]
}
when I erase the nodemin in runtimeExecutable it runs perfectly with node
First, install nodemon as a dev dependency:
npm install --save-dev nodemon
For newer versions of VS Code set up your .vscode/launch.json file like this:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "nodemon",
"runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/nodemon/bin/nodemon.js",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/app.js",
"restart": true,
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen"
}]
}
The most important pieces are the runtimeExecutable property that points to the nodemon script and the program property that points to your entry point script.
If you use an older VS Code (which you shouldn't), try this launch configuration:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch with nodemon",
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/node_modules/nodemon/bin/nodemon.js",
"args": ["${workspaceRoot}/app.js"],
"runtimeArgs": ["--nolazy"]
}
]
}
The most important pieces are the program property that points to the nodemon script and the args property that points to your normal entry point script.
I couldn't get #AdrianT's answer working with the debugger attached. It seems like there's a newer built-in supported way to do this:
Open the Launch Configuration dropdown and select "Add configuration..."
Select "Node.js: Nodemon Setup"
It will add something like this to your launch.json:
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "nodemon",
"runtimeExecutable": "nodemon",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/app.js",
"restart": true,
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen"
}
Make sure your "program" setting is your correct entry point script.
You need to install nodemon globally to get this to work (npm install -g nodemon) (as per the documentation)
Your app now runs and you can set breakpoints which will be hit and the console logs to the integrated terminal window.
Note that terminating the debug session only terminates the program to debug, not nodemon itself. To terminate nodemon, press Control-C in the integrated terminal.
In Visual studio code create a launch config:
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858,
"restart": true
}
run nodemon from the command line: nodemon --debug server.js
Now 'Attach' from VC and vuala.
Attaching is definitely an easy option. In order to make sure that your code breaks, make sure you run nodemon with --inspect-brk (node 8+), e.g.:
nodemon --inspect-brk src/app.js
After launching nodemon will log the port open for debug connections:
Debugger listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9229/someUUID
You can take that port in order to build your launch config which is quite simple:
{
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"name": "Attach",
"port": 9229,
"restart": true
},
I tried the solutions Adrian and Mathew suggested. They seem to work perfectly if your are on macOS (maybe also on Linux). On Windows, maybe Mathew's solution is more stable. Combining both to have a solution that could be compatible with both macOS, Windows and Linux, and makes sure that we don't face with errors like "PATH not found", I found that using globally installed nodemon for debugging seems to be much more stable.
Install nodemon globally (if you haven't done it before) npm i -g nodemon
Add the following to the .vscode/launch.json
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Debug App_Name",
"skipFiles": [
"./path/of/file/to/skip/when/debugging"
],
"program": "app.js",
"restart": true,
"runtimeExecutable": "nodemon",
"console": "integratedTerminal"
}
]
}
We, of course, can still install nodemon locally and run it while developing.
What worked for me without global installs and using typescript:
{
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen",
"name": "nodemon",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/src/index.ts",
"request": "launch",
"restart": true,
"runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/.bin/nodemon",
"type": "pwa-node",
"args": ["--config", "nodemon.json"] //remove --config if you don't have one
}
In order to don't have problems with ts-node, in nodemon.json I added it:
{
"execMap": {
"ts": "npx ts-node"
}
}
No, currently it can't. But I managed to get this somewhat working using nodemon. I start it from Grunt . But an equivalent command line should do the same.
EDIT: After an evening of testing I can say that below approach is still somewhat flakey :S, attaching fails intermittedly and sometimes breakpoints are ignored.
EDIT2: You can also specify an non default debug port in Gruntfile using ['--debug-brk=5860'] for nodeArgs. I've been also advised to use --debug-brk instead of --debug. Perhaps this will remove the current flakeyness. I'll come back and mention here if it helps (I've currently switched project).
In case this might help anyone it's working with below settings in Current VS Code version (e.g. v0.10.6) on Windows 10. But it'll probably work on Mac too (I might check later). But note that I sometimes have to trigger a rebuild by changing+saving a file before the debugger picks it up.
/.vscode/launch.json
{
"configurations": [{
"name": "Launch",
"outDir": null
},{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858
}]
}
/Gruntfile.js
nodemon : {
dev : {
script : 'launcher.js'
},
options : {
ignore : ['node_modules/**', 'Gruntfile.js'],
nodeArgs: ['--debug'],
env : { PORT : '4123'
}
}
}
I guess the debug port 5858 is the default since it's not specified here (note it ís in launch.json above.)
https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-recipes/tree/master/nodemon
The above link helped me to successfully debug nodemon + express app. The steps are well explained there.
launch.json
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"name": "Node: Nodemon",
"processId": "${command:PickProcess}",
"restart": true,
"protocol": "inspector",
}
]
}
npm script
"dev-server": "nodemon ***--inspect*** server.js"
Steps:
Run the server, using npm script. Please note --inspect arg in
the script
Start visual code debugger, A prompt will be shown to
select the node server process
select the node server process
Now you should be able to debug.
if it did not help you, then please have a look at the official doc, the config options are explained there.
https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/nodejs/nodejs-debugging#_launch-configuration-support-for-npm-and-other-tools
This will let you run it on the file currently open in the editor WITHOUT installing nodemon as a dependency. This makes it convenient to keep in a template project.
The cwd and program are set so that the working directory is the one containing the file, and the program is the filename without a path. This makes it compatible with monorepos because it will then search back up the file tree for the correct tsconfig.json, package.json, node_modules, etc.
E.g. if the currently opened file is /path/to/some-file.ts, this is equivalent to running in the shell like:
cd /path/to
npx -y nodemon some-file.ts
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "nodemon",
"runtimeExecutable": "npx",
"runtimeArgs": ["-y", "nodemon"],
"program": "${file}",
"cwd": "${fileDirname}",
"restart": true,
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen"
}
]
}
Yes you can! As of a recent update you can attach the debugger to a running Nodemon process. This page has more information. Search for nodemon on the page to see the instructions.
I use the Node Exec plugin. It allows you to run and stop a node app in vcs by pressing F8 and F9 (applies on open file in editor). This could help as a (temporary) workaround.
Nodemon as local dependency
I also could not get #Adrian T's answer to work right away. But it is only a small detail, that has to be changed to make it work. So here we go:
create a launch.json file in a top-level .vscode folder
open the file in VS Code
use the build in button Add Configuration - that will be rendered in the editor - to add a config for Node.js: Nodemon Setup
in the generated config change the key runtimeExecutable:
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/app.js",
// diff from Adrian T
-- "runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/nodemon/bin/nodemon.js",
++ "runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/.bin/nodemon",
You are now using the executables from your local dependencies (see this SO thread)
There is also an answer by Martin from earlier underneath this answer (just to be correct):
If you don't like having to run a global nodemon you can also install nodemon using npm and then set "runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/.bin/nodemon", – Martin Feb 22 '18 at 22:25
Nodemon as global dependency
"runtimeExecutable": "nodemon", will only work if the executable of nodemon itself is part of the environment variable PATH (not `%appdata% or the like thereof). As this is mostly not the case, you would need to specify the absolute path (see the docs here and here).
For anyone trying to set up nodemon with an express-generator created ExpressJS project on windows, this is what worked for me when nodemon is installed as a local dev dependency (e.g. npm install nodemon --save-dev)
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Launch with Nodemon",
"runtimeExecutable": "node",
"runtimeArgs": ["${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/nodemon/bin/nodemon.js"],
"skipFiles": [
"<node_internals>/**"
],
"program": "${workspaceFolder}\\bin\\www",
"env" : {
"DEBUG": "myapp:server"
}
}
No need to do anything,
Just open Powershell as administrator and write
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
and then enter A
1. Install nodemon as a dev dependency.
npm install -D -E nodemon
Options:
-D option: To save as dev dependency
-E option: To install exact version
2. Add a nodemon.json file in the root of the project with the following content.
{
"restartable": "rs",
"ignore": [".git", "node_modules/**/node_modules"],
"verbose": true,
"execMap": {
"js": "node --harmony"
},
"watch": ["src/", ".env"],
"env": {
"NODE_ENV": "development"
},
"ext": "js,json",
"delay": 500
}
For more information, see the official documentation here.
3. Add a script to package.json.
npm pkg set scripts.dev="nodemon --config nodemon.json"
4. Add launch config in .vscode/launch.json.
Content:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Run Nodemon",
"runtimeExecutable": "npm",
"runtimeArgs": ["run-script", "dev"],
"envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
}
]
}
To see documentation here.
The envFile option is optional. I use it because I am using dotenv.
It works fine for me, in the main Terminal.
Do not use VS code terminal, use the main system terminal.

vscode debug ES6 application

I have VSCode 0.5.0. I set the compilerOptions flag to "ES6" and the editor started recognizing my ES6 code as correct.
I have babel installed.
My Mocha tests use the babel compilers and my tests pass.
My app runs from the command line with no problems when I launch it with babel-node .
When I debug the app from within VSCode, it starts up without the ES6 support, and the app fails for ES6 syntax issues.
Are there debug settings that I missed turning on?
Here's how to get VSCode debugger to work with Babel 6+:
First install dependencies locally:
$ npm install babel-cli --save
$ npm install babel-preset-es2015 --save
Then run babel-node:
$ node_modules/babel-cli/bin/babel-node.js --inspect --presets es2015 -- server.js --inspect
By default, the debugger will listen on port 5858, so make sure the port matches in launch.json for Attach configuration:
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858
}
Now attach the debugger in VSCode:
make sure debug configuration is set to Attach and not Launch
run with F5
Nodemon
Although not required, if you also want to use nodemon to pickup code changes without restarting the server, you can do this:
Make sure nodemon is installed:
$ npm install nodemon --save-dev
Run the server
$ node_modules/.bin/nodemon node_modules/babel-cli/bin/babel-node.js --inspect --presets es2015 -- server.js --inspect
Finally, attach the debugger as shown above.
Assuming you have babel-cli installed as a local module in your project the following should work.
launch.json
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/node_modules/babel-cli/bin/babel-node.js",
"stopOnEntry": false,
"args": [
"${workspaceRoot}/server.js"
],
...
You can try babel-register (you'll also need other companion babel modules as req'd):
npm install --save-dev babel-register
with a launch.json configuration along these lines:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/src/index.js",
"stopOnEntry": false,
"args": [],
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}",
"preLaunchTask": null,
"runtimeExecutable": null,
"runtimeArgs": [
"--nolazy",
"--require",
"babel-register"
],
"env": {
"NODE_ENV": "development"
},
"console": "internalConsole",
"sourceMaps": true,
"outFiles": [
]
},
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858,
"address": "localhost",
"restart": false,
"sourceMaps": false,
"outFiles": [],
"localRoot": "${workspaceRoot}",
"remoteRoot": null
},
{
"name": "Attach to Process",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"processId": "${command.PickProcess}",
"port": 5858,
"sourceMaps": false,
"outFiles": []
}
]
}
This is loosely based on vscode-debug-nodejs-es6 with the addition of the babel-register runtime argument.
By default VSCode launches node just with a --debug-brk option. This is not enough to enable ES6 support. If you can find out what options 'babel-node' passes to node, you could specify the same options in the VSCode launch config (through the runtimeArgs attribute). But this does not solve the issue that babel-node transpiles your ES6 code before running it.
Alternatively you could try to set the 'runtimeExecutable' in your launch config to 'babel-node'. This approach works with other node wrappers, but I haven't verified that is works with babel-node.
A third option (which should work) is to use the attach mode of VSCode: for this launch babel-node from the command line with the '--debug' option. It should print a port number. Then create an 'attach' launch config in VSCode with that port.
babel + nodemon
In the VS Code Terminal, launch your server with the --inspect argument:
nodemon --inspect --watch src --exec node_modules/.bin/babel-node --presets react,es2015 src/server.js
Among the other lines, one will show the port on which the debugger is listening:
...
Debugger listening on port 9229
...
Create the following debug configuration:
{
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"name": "Attach to Port",
"address": "localhost",
"port": 9229
}
Launch the debugger, and if everything went fine you will see in the output Terminal:
Debugger attached.
From now on, you can debug your application.
There are two ways of doing it:
First Option using npm command prompt
In package.json file create build command that will execute babel
{
"scripts": {
"build": "babel src --out-dir dist --watch --source-maps"
},
"devDependencies": {
"babel-cli": "^6.23.0",
"babel-preset-es2015-node6": "^0.4.0",
"eslint": "^3.16.0"
}
}
In launch.json Enter following code:
{
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"program": "${workspaceRoot}/src/index.js",
"stopOnEntry": false,
"args": [],
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}",
"runtimeArgs": [
"--nolazy"
],
"sourceMaps": true,
"outFiles": [
"${workspaceRoot}/dist/**/*.js"
]
}
]
}
Open your cmd window, navigate to your package.json file and execute:
npm run build
Open your VS Code and run your code. It will run and it will stop at all your breakpoints. The reason it works because source maps are generated and VS knows how to map them to your code.
Second option using VS Code task:
In VS Code add following task (Ctrl + Shift + P) and type 'Tasks: Configure Task Runner':
Add following code to tasks.json file
{
"version": "0.1.0",
"command": "${workspaceRoot}/node_modules/.bin/babel",
"isShellCommand": true,
"tasks": [
{
"taskName": "watch",
"args": [
"src",
"--out-dir",
"dist",
"--watch",
"--source-maps"
],
"suppressTaskName": true,
"isBuildCommand": true
}
]
}
Now execute task, but pressing Ctrl + Shift + B (build command) and now you can run and debug your code. VS Code doing the same as what npm is doing in step one.
You will also need to configure babel in .babelrc (located in the root of the project) file like this:
{
"presets": [
"es2015-node6"
]
}
and jsconfig.json (located in the root of the project)
{
"compilerOptions": {
"target": "ES6"
},
"include": [
"src/**/*"
]
}
This is my configuration and it works great! I am using the VSCode debugging, mocha 6.1.4, node: v8.16.0, and Babel version 6.
Make sure to load babel-register and babel-polyfill in runtimeArgs, or else you will get regeneratorRuntime is not defined!
{
"type": "node",
"request": "launch",
"name": "Mocha test debug",
"runtimeExecutable": "${workspaceRoot}/node_modules/.bin/mocha",
"console": "integratedTerminal",
"internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen",
"protocol": "inspector",
"stopOnEntry": false,
"runtimeArgs": [
"--nolazy",
"--require",
"babel-register",
"--require",
"babel-polyfill",
"tests/*.js"
],
"sourceMaps": true
}
babel-node & vs code attach
config a npm script in package.json:
"scripts": {
"debug": "babel-node --debug-brk demo.js --presets es2015,stage-2"
}
add vs code debug configuration:
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"protocol": "legacy",
"request": "attach",
"port": 5858
}
When transpiling with bael-node, you should add "--inspect-brk" in the script, so that the script may break when a breakpoint is hit.
Ex:
"start": "babel-node --inspect-brk app.js --presets es2015,stage-2"
Now when you run using npm run start, debugger will be launched and you can see following in your console:
Debugger listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9229/cf72a33c-ab38-4798-be5e-8b8df072f724
For help see https://nodejs.org/en/docs/inspector
That shows debugging process has started and we can attach to it on port# 9229.
Now, you need to add the following debugger config for vs-code to attach to this process: (in launch.json)
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Attach to Process",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": 9229
}
]
}
After saving, click the "start debugging" button, to attach to process initiated by node earlier. You may read more about this here

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