lpm vs PM2
PM2 is for production. lpm is for the dev loop.
PM2 is a rock-solid daemon for keeping Node apps alive in prod — clustering, auto-restart, startup scripts. lpm is a workflow tool for starting, stopping, and switching between local projects while you code. Different jobs.
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How it compares
PM2 and lpm, feature by feature
PM2 wins every production row. lpm wins the dev-loop rows. Written honestly so you can tell which column you actually need.
| Capability | lpm | PM2 |
|---|---|---|
| Starts multiple processes with one command | ||
| Primary focus | dev loop | production |
| Per-service live output pane | ||
| Native macOS desktop app | ||
| Visual multi-project switcher | ||
| Generates project config from your repo | Node-focused | |
| Duplicate a project for a second AI agent | ||
| Designed for Claude Code / Codex in parallel | ||
| Cluster mode across CPU cores | ||
| Auto-restart on crash with backoff | ||
| Runs at server boot (pm2 startup / save) | ||
| Zero-downtime reload on deploy | ||
| Log rotation and centralized log files | dev-only | prod-grade |
| CPU / memory monitoring dashboard | per-service panes | pm2 monit + Plus |
| Config format | name + command per service | ecosystem.config.js |
| Open source, free |
lpm
- Starts multiple processes with one command
- dev loopPrimary focus
- Per-service live output pane
- Native macOS desktop app
- Visual multi-project switcher
- Generates project config from your repo
- Duplicate a project for a second AI agent
- Designed for Claude Code / Codex in parallel
- Cluster mode across CPU cores
- Auto-restart on crash with backoff
- Runs at server boot (pm2 startup / save)
- Zero-downtime reload on deploy
- dev-onlyLog rotation and centralized log files
- per-service panesCPU / memory monitoring dashboard
- name + command per serviceConfig format
- Open source, free
PM2
- Starts multiple processes with one command
- productionPrimary focus
- Per-service live output pane
- Native macOS desktop app
- Visual multi-project switcher
- Node-focusedGenerates project config from your repo
- Duplicate a project for a second AI agent
- Designed for Claude Code / Codex in parallel
- Cluster mode across CPU cores
- Auto-restart on crash with backoff
- Runs at server boot (pm2 startup / save)
- Zero-downtime reload on deploy
- prod-gradeLog rotation and centralized log files
- pm2 monit + PlusCPU / memory monitoring dashboard
- ecosystem.config.jsConfig format
- Open source, free
Honest take
When each one is the right tool
Both run multiple processes. The split is whether the processes are a product running for users or a stack you're actively editing.
Pick lpm
You're in the dev loop — multiple projects, mixed stacks, or AI agents running in parallel.
- You switch between several local projects a day and want a visual switcher instead of terminal tabs.
- Your stack is Rails, Next.js, Go, Django, Flask, or Docker Compose — not just Node — and you want first-class framework detection.
- You want each service in its own live pane in a native macOS app, not one interleaved log stream.
- You run Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or aider in parallel and need each agent's output visible at once.
- You want to duplicate a project so a second agent can work on its own copy of the stack without conflicts.
Pick PM2
You're shipping a Node app to a server and need it to stay alive under load.
- You deploy Node to production or staging and need cluster mode across CPU cores with load balancing.
- You need auto-restart on crash with exponential backoff, memory limits, and graceful reloads.
- You need pm2 startup + pm2 save so the app comes back after a reboot.
- You need log rotation, centralized log files, and integrations like PM2 Plus / Keymetrics for monitoring.
- You need zero-downtime reloads on deploy without dropping in-flight requests.
FAQ
lpm vs PM2 — the honest FAQ
Can I use lpm in production instead of PM2?
No, and that is not the pitch. lpm is a dev-workflow tool — it starts, stops, and switches between local projects while you are coding. PM2 is a daemon built to keep Node apps alive on a server: cluster mode, auto-restart on crash, pm2 startup for boot, zero-downtime reloads, log rotation. If you are deploying Node to prod or staging, use PM2. lpm and PM2 are complementary, not competitors.Does lpm cluster Node processes across cores like PM2?
No. Cluster mode is a production concern — PM2 forks your Node app across CPU cores and load-balances between workers so a single box serves more traffic. lpm doesn't do that. In dev you usually want one instance of each service so logs and debugger breakpoints map to a single process. If you need clustering, that is a signal you want PM2 in front of your app, not lpm.I run non-Node projects — Rails, Django, Go. Does lpm help more than PM2 there?
This is where the split is clearest. PM2 can run non-Node commands via its interpreter: "none" or bash escape hatch, but the ecosystem, docs, and defaults all assume Node. lpm treats any stack as first-class — point it at the repo, let it generate the service config, and each service gets its own live pane. If your stack is mixed or non-Node, lpm is built for that shape.How do I migrate from ecosystem.config.js to lpm?
You don't fully migrate — you'd keep ecosystem.config.js for production and add an lpm config for dev. lpm uses a small per-project config file you can read, edit, and commit, where each service is just a name and a command — which maps cleanly to the apps array in ecosystem.config.js: take each entry's name and script/args, drop it into the lpm config, and you're running. Env vars, cwd, and ports are handled in the lpm config separately. Or let lpm read the repo and generate the config for you.Can I run PM2 under lpm during development?
Yes, and that is a reasonable setup. If your dev environment mirrors prod and you want pm2 start ecosystem.config.js locally, make that a single service in your lpm config — one line, commandpm2-runtime start ecosystem.config.js(the non-daemonized variant so lpm owns the lifecycle). You get lpm's per-project switcher and pane UI on the outside, PM2's cluster / restart semantics on the inside. Source is on GitHub if you want to try it.
Use PM2 in prod. Use lpm while you're coding.
A dev-loop layer on top of whatever runs your services — per-service panes, multi-project switching, and parallel AI-agent workflows. Free and open source.
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