execa

Process execution for Node.js — a better child_process with Promises, streaming, and a clean cross-platform API.

execa

Node.js

Process execution for Node.js — a better child_process with Promises, streaming, and a clean cross-platform API.

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Bundle (gzip)

32.2 kB

103.5 kB raw

Install size includes transitive dependencies. Bundle size is gzipped browser payload.

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The Problem

Node's built-in child_process.exec uses callbacks, joins stdout/stderr awkwardly, has inconsistent error handling, and requires manual cross-platform command escaping. Writing shell scripts in Node.js is more painful than it should be.

What It Does

Execa returns Promises, provides separate stdout/stderr streams, throws descriptive errors with the command output when a process fails, and handles cross-platform path separators. The $ tagged template literal gives you a shell-like syntax for composing commands safely.

Installation

bash
npm install execa

Usage Example

typescript
import { execa, $ } from 'execa';

// Simple command execution
const { stdout } = await execa('git', ['log', '--oneline', '-5']);
console.log(stdout);

// Template literal syntax (safe, no shell injection)
const branch = 'main';
const { stdout: log } = await $`git log --oneline -5 ${branch}`;

// Pipe commands
const result = await execa('cat', ['package.json']).pipeStdout(execa('jq', ['.name']));
console.log(result.stdout);

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