Tip: Debugging Node.js using Chrome Developer Tools

JavaScript, Node, Debugging · Jun 12, 2021

Node.js can be debugged using Chrome Developer Tools since v6.3.0. Here's a quick guide on how to do this:

  1. Download and install Node.js v6.3.0 or newer, if you don't already have it installed on your machine.
  2. Run node with the --inspect-brk flag (e.g. node --inspect-brk index.js).
  3. Open about:inspect in a new tab in Chrome. You should see something like the screenshot below.
  4. Click Open dedicated DevTools for Node to open a new window connected to your Node.js instance.
  5. Use the Developer Tools to debug your Node.js application!
about:inspect page

Written by Angelos Chalaris

I'm Angelos Chalaris, a JavaScript software engineer, based in Athens, Greece. The best snippets from my coding adventures are published here to help others learn to code.

If you want to keep in touch, follow me on GitHub or Twitter.

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