v9.0.0

This major release brings many important features including:

• Split the output into lines, or progressively iterate over them.
• Transform or filter the input/output using simple functions.
• Print the output to the terminal while still retrieving it programmatically.
• Redirect the input/output from/to a file.
• Advanced piping between multiple subprocesses.
• Improved verbose mode, for debugging.
• More detailed errors, including when terminating subprocesses.
• Enhanced template string syntax.
• Global/shared options.
• Web streams and Transform streams support.
• Convert the subprocess to a stream.
• New documentation with many examples.

Please check the release post for a high-level overview! For the full list of breaking changes, features and bug fixes, please read below.

Thanks @younggglcy, @koshic, @am0o0 and @codesmith-emmy for your help!

---

One of the maintainers @ehmicky is looking for a remote full-time position. Specialized in Node.js back-ends and CLIs, he led Netlify Build, Plugins and Configuration for 2.5 years. Feel free to contact him on his website or on LinkedIn!

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Breaking changes

• Minimal supported Node.js version is now 18.19.0. (834e372)

• When the encoding option is 'buffer', the output (result.stdout, result.stderr, result.all) is now an Uint8Array instead of a Buffer. For more information, see this blog post. (by @younggglcy) (#586)

const {stdout} = await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'buffer'});
console.log(stdout); // This is now an Uint8Array

• Renamed some of the allowed values for the encoding option. (#586, #928)

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: null});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'buffer'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf-8'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf8'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'UTF8'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf8'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf-16le'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf16le'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'ucs2'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf16le'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'ucs-2'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'utf16le'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'binary'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {encoding: 'latin1'});

• Passing a file path to subprocess.pipeStdout(), subprocess.pipeStderr() and subprocess.pipeAll() has been removed. Instead, a {file: './path'} object should be passed to the stdout or stderr option. (#752)

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStdout('output.txt');
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {stdout: {file: 'output.txt'}});

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStderr('output.txt');
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {stderr: {file: 'output.txt'}});

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeAll('output.txt');
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {
+	stdout: {file: 'output.txt'},
+	stderr: {file: 'output.txt'},
+});

• Passing a writable stream to subprocess.pipeStdout(), subprocess.pipeStderr() and subprocess.pipeAll() has been removed. Instead, the stream should be passed to the stdout or stderr option. If the stream does not have a file descriptor, ['pipe', stream] should be passed instead. (#752)

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStdout(stream);
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {stdout: ['pipe', stream]});

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStderr(stream);
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {stderr: ['pipe', stream]});

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeAll(stream);
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {
+	stdout: ['pipe', stream],
+	stderr: ['pipe', stream],
+});

• The subprocess.pipeStdout(), subprocess.pipeStderr() and subprocess.pipeAll() methods have been renamed to subprocess.pipe(). The command and its arguments can be passed to subprocess.pipe() directly, without calling execa() a second time. The from piping option can specify 'stdout' (the default value), 'stderr' or 'all'. (#757)

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStdout(execa('node', ['other.js']));
+ await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipe('node', ['other.js']);

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeStderr(execa('node', ['other.js']));
+ await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipe('node', ['other.js'], {from: 'stderr'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipeAll(execa('node', ['other.js']));
+ await execa('node', ['file.js']).pipe('node', ['other.js'], {from: 'all'});

• Renamed the signal option to cancelSignal. (#880)

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {signal: abortController.signal});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {cancelSignal: abortController.signal});

• Renamed error.killed to error.isTerminated. (#625)

try {
	await execa('node', ['file.js']);
} catch (error) {
- if (error.killed) {
+ if (error.isTerminated) {
		// ...
	}
}

• subprocess.cancel() has been removed. Please use either subprocess.kill() or the cancelSignal option instead. (#711)

- subprocess.cancel();
+ subprocess.kill();

• Renamed the forceKillAfterTimeout option to forceKillAfterDelay. Also, it is now passed to execa() instead of subprocess.kill(). (#714, #723)

- const subprocess = execa('node', ['file.js']);
- subprocess.kill('SIGTERM', {forceKillAfterTimeout: 1000});
+ const subprocess = execa('node', ['file.js'], {forceKillAfterDelay: 1000});
+ subprocess.kill('SIGTERM');

• The verbose option is now a string enum instead of a boolean. false has been renamed to 'none' and true has been renamed to 'short'. (#884)

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {verbose: false});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {verbose: 'none'});

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {verbose: true});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {verbose: 'short'});

• The execPath option has been renamed to nodePath. It is now a noop unless the node option is true. Also, it now works even if the preferLocal option is false. (#812, #815)

- await execa('node', ['file.js'], {execPath: './path/to/node'});
+ await execa('node', ['file.js'], {nodePath: './path/to/node'});

• The default value for the serialization option is now 'advanced' instead of 'json'. In particular, when calling subprocess.send(object) with an object that contains functions or symbols, those were previously silently removed. Now this will throw an exception. (#905)

- subprocess.send({example: true, getExample() {}});
+ subprocess.send({example: true});

• If subprocess.stdout, subprocess.stderr or subprocess.all is manually piped, the .pipe() call must now happen as soon as subprocess is created. Otherwise, the output at the beginning of the subprocess might be missing. (#658, #747)

const subprocess = execa('node', ['file.js']);
- setTimeout(() => {
	subprocess.stdout.pipe(process.stdout);
- }, 0);

• Signals passed to subprocess.kill() and to the [killSignal](docs/ap...

v8.0.1

Fixes

• Fix and document support for the {encoding: 'buffer'} option. It is the same as {encoding: null}, but preferred over it. (#572)

v8.0.0...v8.0.1

v8.0.0

Breaking

• Require Node.js 16.17.0 and later (#569)

v7.2.0...v8.0.0

v7.2.0

• Add cwd error property (#565) f57fdec

v7.1.1...v7.2.0

v7.1.1

Features

• Improve error message when $.sync(options)`command` is used instead of $(options).sync`command` (#551)

Bug fixes

• Fix argument concatenation when using $`command argument${value}` (#553)
• Fix default value of the stdin option when using $`command`: it should be inherit (#550)

v7.1.0

Features

• Add $ method to write Node.js scripts like zx. For more information, please see this blog post, this section and this page. Thanks @aaronccasanova for this great feature!

import {$} from 'execa';

const branch = await $`git branch --show-current`;
await $`dep deploy --branch=${branch}`;

• Add .pipeStdout(), .pipeStderr() and .pipeAll() methods to redirect stdout/stderr to a file, a stream or another process.

// Similar to `echo unicorns > stdout.txt` in Bash
await execa('echo', ['unicorns']).pipeStdout('stdout.txt');

// Similar to `echo unicorns 2> stdout.txt` in Bash
await execa('echo', ['unicorns']).pipeStderr('stderr.txt');

// Similar to `echo unicorns &> stdout.txt` in Bash
await execa('echo', ['unicorns'], {all: true}).pipeAll('all.txt');

• Add inputFile option to use a file as stdin.

// Similar to `cat < stdin.txt` in Bash
const {stdout} = await execa('cat', {inputFile: 'stdin.txt'});
console.log(stdout);
//=> 'unicorns'

• Add verbose option to print each command on stderr before executing it. This can also be enabled by setting the NODE_DEBUG=execa environment variable in the current process.

> node file.js
unicorns
rainbows

> NODE_DEBUG=execa node file.js
[16:50:03.305] echo unicorns
unicorns
[16:50:03.308] echo rainbows
rainbows

v7.0.0

Breaking

• Require Node.js 14 and later (#497) a09cbc0

Fixes

• Emit end event on streams when process fails (#518) 30c7a7a
• Fix incorrect execaNode signature in index.d.ts (#506) 1f7677c

v6.1.0...v7.0.0

v6.1.0

• Support AbortController (#490) c6e791a
• Allow cwd and localDir options to be URLs (#492) 93ab929

v6.0.0...v6.1.0

v6.0.0

Breaking

• Require Node.js 12.20 (#478) 7707880
• This package is now pure ESM. Please read this.
• Moved from a default export to named exports.
  • require('execa') → import {execa} from 'execa'
  • require('execa').sync → import {execaSync} from 'execa'
  • require('execa').command → import {execaCommand} from 'execa'
  • require('execa').commandSync → import {execaCommandSync} from 'execa'
  • require('execa').node → import {execaNode} from 'execa'

v5.1.1...v6.0.0

v5.1.1

• Fix error message when user passes a single array argument (#468) 2b9c0e1

v5.1.0...v5.1.1