Runtime Platform APIs & Tooling

5 topics in this chapter

1

CLI Flags

How Node.js consumes CLI flags, NODE_OPTIONS, preloads, V8 options, source maps, conditions, warnings, diagnostics, memory flags, and node --run.

#nodejs#cli-flags#runtime-configuration#node-options#startup

36 min read

2

.env Files

How Node.js loads .env files with --env-file, parses DotEnv syntax, merges values into process.env, and handles NODE_OPTIONS precedence.

#nodejs#env-files#configuration#dotenv#process-env

33 min read

3

Web Platform APIs

How Node.js exposes web-compatible globals including fetch, Request, Response, Web Streams, Blob, File, FormData, URL, and structuredClone.

#nodejs#web-platform#fetch#undici#web-streams

36 min read

4

TypeScript & Compile Cache

How Node.js v24 runs TypeScript through type stripping, handles .ts module formats, rejects unsupported syntax, and stores compile cache data.

#nodejs#typescript#type-stripping#compile-cache#runtime

36 min read

5

REPL, Inspector, Watch & SEA

How Node.js REPL, inspector sessions, watch mode, and single executable applications evaluate code, expose debugging state, restart, and package apps.

#nodejs#repl#inspector#watch-mode#single-executable

36 min read

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