How does Node.js “Fork” work?

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In Node.js, the term “fork” might sound like something to do with eating, but it is actually a concept used to manage multiple processes. Forking is an important way to make programs faster and handle more tasks at once. It is very helpful when you want to split a task into smaller parts and run them in parallel, which can save a lot of time.

What does “fork” mean?

When you hear the word “fork” in Node.js, it means creating a new process from the existing one. Think of it like copying yourself to do more work at the same time. Each copy (or “child process”) can handle different tasks, while the original process (the “parent”) keeps doing its work. This is useful when one process alone cannot handle all the tasks efficiently.

In simple words, the “fork” method allows your program to create child processes that can work on tasks separately. These processes are separate but can still communicate with each other.

How does forking work in Node.js?

Node.js has a built-in module called child_process. This module allows you to create child processes, and one of the main methods inside this module is the fork() method. The fork() method is used to spawn a new Node.js process…