Child Processes & OS Workloads
Every subchapter in this chapter, free to read online. Work through them in order, or jump straight to the runtime detail you need.
spawn(), exec(), execFile() & fork()
How Node.js starts child processes, where parent and child state split, and when to use spawn(), exec(), execFile(), or fork().
stdio Configuration & Piping
The stdio option in depth, from pipes and inheritance to extra descriptors, and the read-and-close habits that keep a parent from hanging on its child.
IPC Channels & Handle Passing
How Node wires parent-child IPC channels, serializes messages, applies send backpressure, disconnects cleanly, and passes supported network handles.
Shell Injection & Safe Launching
How shell parsing, argv separation, PATH lookup, platform launch rules, timeouts, buffers, and privileges shape safe child-process calls in Node.js.
Process Pools & Supervisors
How reusable child-process pools, detached children, POSIX process groups, reaping, and local supervision fit together in Node.js.
Cluster as Legacy Scaling
How Node's cluster module forks worker processes, shares server handles, distributes connections, drains workers, and fits into modern scaling decisions.