Node.js, MongoDB, and AngularJS Web Development

Executing a System Command on Another Process by Using exec()

The simplest way to add work to another process from a Node.js process is to execute a system command in a subshell, using the exec() function. The exec() function can execute just about anything that can be executed from a console prompt, such as a binary executable, shell script, Python script, or batch file.

When executed, the exec() function creates a system subshell and then executes a command string in that shell just as if you had executed it from a console prompt. This gives you the advantage of being able to leverage the capabilities of a console shell, such as accessing environment variables, on the command line.

The syntax for the exec() function, which returns a ChildProcess ...