Node.js v26.0.0 documentation

V8#

The node:v8 module exposes APIs that are specific to the version of V8 built into the Node.js binary. It can be accessed using:

import v8 from 'node:v8';
const v8 = require('node:v8');
copy

v8.cachedDataVersionTag()#

• Returns: <integer>

Returns an integer representing a version tag derived from the V8 version, command-line flags, and detected CPU features. This is useful for determining whether a vm.Script cachedData buffer is compatible with this instance of V8.

console.log(v8.cachedDataVersionTag()); // 3947234607
// The value returned by v8.cachedDataVersionTag() is derived from the V8
// version, command-line flags, and detected CPU features. Test that the value
// does indeed update when flags are toggled.
v8.setFlagsFromString('--allow_natives_syntax');
console.log(v8.cachedDataVersionTag()); // 183726201
copy

v8.getHeapCodeStatistics()#

• Returns: <Object>

Get statistics about code and its metadata in the heap, see V8 GetHeapCodeAndMetadataStatistics API. Returns an object with the following properties:

• code_and_metadata_size <number>
• bytecode_and_metadata_size <number>
• external_script_source_size <number>
• cpu_profiler_metadata_size <number>

{
  code_and_metadata_size: 212208,
  bytecode_and_metadata_size: 161368,
  external_script_source_size: 1410794,
  cpu_profiler_metadata_size: 0,
}
copy

v8.getHeapSnapshot([options])#

• options <Object>

  • exposeInternals <boolean> If true, expose internals in the heap snapshot. Default: false.
  • exposeNumericValues <boolean> If true, expose numeric values in artificial fields. Default: false.

• Returns: <stream.Readable> A Readable containing the V8 heap snapshot.

Generates a snapshot of the current V8 heap and returns a Readable Stream that may be used to read the JSON serialized representation. This JSON stream format is intended to be used with tools such as Chrome DevTools. The JSON schema is undocumented and specific to the V8 engine. Therefore, the schema may change from one version of V8 to the next.

Creating a heap snapshot requires memory about twice the size of the heap at the time the snapshot is created. This results in the risk of OOM killers terminating the process.

Generating a snapshot is a synchronous operation which blocks the event loop for a duration depending on the heap size.

// Print heap snapshot to the console
import { getHeapSnapshot } from 'node:v8';
import process from 'node:process';
const stream = getHeapSnapshot();
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
copy

// Print heap snapshot to the console
const v8 = require('node:v8');
const process = require('node:process');
const stream = v8.getHeapSnapshot();
stream.pipe(process.stdout);
copy

v8.getHeapSpaceStatistics()#

• Returns: <Object[]>

Returns statistics about the V8 heap spaces, i.e. the segments which make up the V8 heap. Neither the ordering of heap spaces, nor the availability of a heap space can be guaranteed as the statistics are provided via the V8 GetHeapSpaceStatistics function and may change from one V8 version to the next.

The value returned is an array of objects containing the following properties:

• space_name <string>
• space_size <number>
• space_used_size <number>
• space_available_size <number>
• physical_space_size <number>

[
  {
    "space_name": "new_space",
    "space_size": 2063872,
    "space_used_size": 951112,
    "space_available_size": 80824,
    "physical_space_size": 2063872
  },
  {
    "space_name": "old_space",
    "space_size": 3090560,
    "space_used_size": 2493792,
    "space_available_size": 0,
    "physical_space_size": 3090560
  },
  {
    "space_name": "code_space",
    "space_size": 1260160,
    "space_used_size": 644256,
    "space_available_size": 960,
    "physical_space_size": 1260160
  },
  {
    "space_name": "map_space",
    "space_size": 1094160,
    "space_used_size": 201608,
    "space_available_size": 0,
    "physical_space_size": 1094160
  },
  {
    "space_name": "large_object_space",
    "space_size": 0,
    "space_used_size": 0,
    "space_available_size": 1490980608,
    "physical_space_size": 0
  }
]
copy

v8.getHeapStatistics()#

• Returns: <Object>

Returns an object with the following properties:

• total_heap_size <number>
• total_heap_size_executable <number>
• total_physical_size <number>
• total_available_size <number>
• used_heap_size <number>
• heap_size_limit <number>
• malloced_memory <number>
• peak_malloced_memory <number>
• does_zap_garbage <number>
• number_of_native_contexts <number>
• number_of_detached_contexts <number>
• total_global_handles_size <number>
• used_global_handles_size <number>
• external_memory <number>
• total_allocated_bytes <number>

total_heap_size The value of total_heap_size is the number of bytes V8 has allocated for the heap. This can grow if used_heap needs more memory.

total_heap_size_executable The value of total_heap_size_executable is the portion of the heap that can contain executable code, in bytes. This includes memory used by JIT-compiled code and any memory that must be kept executable.

total_physical_size The value of total_physical_size is the actual physical memory used by the V8 heap, in bytes. This is the amount of memory that is committed (or in use) rather than reserved.

total_available_size The value of total_available_size is the number of bytes of memory available to the V8 heap. This value represents how much more memory V8 can use before it exceeds the heap limit.

used_heap_size The value of used_heap_size is number of bytes currently being used by V8’s JavaScript objects. This is the actual memory in use and does not include memory that has been allocated but not yet used.

heap_size_limit The value of heap_size_limit is the maximum size of the V8 heap, in bytes (either the default limit, determined by system resources, or the value passed to the --max_old_space_size option).

malloced_memory The value of malloced_memory is the number of bytes allocated through malloc by V8.

peak_malloced_memory The value of peak_malloced_memory is the peak number of bytes allocated through malloc by V8 during the lifetime of the process.

does_zap_garbage is a 0/1 boolean, which signifies whether the --zap_code_space option is enabled or not. This makes V8 overwrite heap garbage with a bit pattern. The RSS footprint (resident set size) gets bigger because it continuously touches all heap pages and that makes them less likely to get swapped out by the operating system.

number_of_native_contexts The value of native_context is the number of the top-level contexts currently active. Increase of this number over time indicates a memory leak.

number_of_detached_contexts The value of detached_context is the number of contexts that were detached and not yet garbage collected. This number being non-zero indicates a potential memory leak.

total_global_handles_size The value of total_global_handles_size is the total memory size of V8 global handles.

used_global_handles_size The value of used_global_handles_size is the used memory size of V8 global handles.

external_memory The value of external_memory is the memory size of array buffers and external strings.

total_allocated_bytes The value of total allocated bytes since the Isolate creation

{
  total_heap_size: 7326976,
  total_heap_size_executable: 4194304,
  total_physical_size: 7326976,
  total_available_size: 1152656,
  used_heap_size: 3476208,
  heap_size_limit: 1535115264,
  malloced_memory: 16384,
  peak_malloced_memory: 1127496,
  does_zap_garbage: 0,
  number_of_native_contexts: 1,
  number_of_detached_contexts: 0,
  total_global_handles_size: 8192,
  used_global_handles_size: 3296,
  external_memory: 318824
}
copy

v8.getCppHeapStatistics([detailLevel])#

Retrieves CppHeap statistics regarding memory consumption and utilization using the V8 CollectStatistics() function which may change from one V8 version to the next.

• detailLevel <string> | <undefined>:  Default: 'detailed'. Specifies the level of detail in the returned statistics. Accepted values are:
  • 'brief': Brief statistics contain only the top-level allocated and used memory statistics for the entire heap.
  • 'detailed': Detailed statistics also contain a break down per space and page, as well as freelist statistics and object type histograms.

It returns an object with a structure similar to the cppgc::HeapStatistics object. See the V8 documentation for more information about the properties of the object.

// Detailed
({
  committed_size_bytes: 131072,
  resident_size_bytes: 131072,
  used_size_bytes: 152,
  space_statistics: [
    {
      name: 'NormalPageSpace0',
      committed_size_bytes: 0,
      resident_size_bytes: 0,
      used_size_bytes: 0,
      page_stats: [{}],
      free_list_stats: {},
    },
    {
      name: 'NormalPageSpace1',
      committed_size_bytes: 131072,
      resident_size_bytes: 131072,
      used_size_bytes: 152,
      page_stats: [{}],
      free_list_stats: {},
    },
    {
      name: 'NormalPageSpace2',
      committed_size_bytes: 0,
      resident_size_bytes: 0,
      used_size_bytes: 0,
      page_stats: [{}],
      free_list_stats: {},
    },
    {
      name: 'NormalPageSpace3',
      committed_size_bytes: 0,
      resident_size_bytes: 0,
      used_size_bytes: 0,
      page_stats: [{}],
      free_list_stats: {},
    },
    {
      name: 'LargePageSpace',
      committed_size_bytes: 0,
      resident_size_bytes: 0,
      used_size_bytes: 0,
      page_stats: [{}],
      free_list_stats: {},
    },
  ],
  type_names: [],
  detail_level: 'detailed',
});
copy

// Brief
({
  committed_size_bytes: 131072,
  resident_size_bytes: 131072,
  used_size_bytes: 128864,
  space_statistics: [],
  type_names: [],
  detail_level: 'brief',
});
copy

v8.queryObjects(ctor[, options])#

• ctor <Function> The constructor that can be used to search on the prototype chain in order to filter target objects in the heap.
• options <undefined> | <Object>
  • format <string> If it's 'count', the count of matched objects is returned. If it's 'summary', an array with summary strings of the matched objects is returned.
• Returns: {number|Array}

This is similar to the queryObjects() console API provided by the Chromium DevTools console. It can be used to search for objects that have the matching constructor on its prototype chain in the heap after a full garbage collection, which can be useful for memory leak regression tests. To avoid surprising results, users should avoid using this API on constructors whose implementation they don't control, or on constructors that can be invoked by other parties in the application.

To avoid accidental leaks, this API does not return raw references to the objects found. By default, it returns the count of the objects found. If options.format is 'summary', it returns an array containing brief string representations for each object. The visibility provided in this API is similar to what the heap snapshot provides, while users can save the cost of serialization and parsing and directly filter the target objects during the search.

Only objects created in the current execution context are included in the results.

const { queryObjects } = require('node:v8');
class A { foo = 'bar'; }
console.log(queryObjects(A)); // 0
const a = new A();
console.log(queryObjects(A)); // 1
// [ "A { foo: 'bar' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(A, { format: 'summary' }));

class B extends A { bar = 'qux'; }
const b = new B();
console.log(queryObjects(B)); // 1
// [ "B { foo: 'bar', bar: 'qux' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(B, { format: 'summary' }));

// Note that, when there are child classes inheriting from a constructor,
// the constructor also shows up in the prototype chain of the child
// classes's prototype, so the child classes's prototype would also be
// included in the result.
console.log(queryObjects(A));  // 3
// [ "B { foo: 'bar', bar: 'qux' }", 'A {}', "A { foo: 'bar' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(A, { format: 'summary' }));
import { queryObjects } from 'node:v8';
class A { foo = 'bar'; }
console.log(queryObjects(A)); // 0
const a = new A();
console.log(queryObjects(A)); // 1
// [ "A { foo: 'bar' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(A, { format: 'summary' }));

class B extends A { bar = 'qux'; }
const b = new B();
console.log(queryObjects(B)); // 1
// [ "B { foo: 'bar', bar: 'qux' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(B, { format: 'summary' }));

// Note that, when there are child classes inheriting from a constructor,
// the constructor also shows up in the prototype chain of the child
// classes's prototype, so the child classes's prototype would also be
// included in the result.
console.log(queryObjects(A));  // 3
// [ "B { foo: 'bar', bar: 'qux' }", 'A {}', "A { foo: 'bar' }" ]
console.log(queryObjects(A, { format: 'summary' }));
copy

v8.setFlagsFromString(flags)#

• flags <string>

The v8.setFlagsFromString() method can be used to programmatically set V8 command-line flags. This method should be used with care. Changing settings after the VM has started may result in unpredictable behavior, including crashes and data loss; or it may simply do nothing.

The V8 options available for a version of Node.js may be determined by running node --v8-options.

Usage:

import { setFlagsFromString } from 'node:v8';
import { setInterval } from 'node:timers';

// setFlagsFromString to trace garbage collection events
setFlagsFromString('--trace-gc');

// Trigger GC events by using some memory
let arrays = [];
const interval = setInterval(() => {
  for (let i = 0; i < 500; i++) {
    arrays.push(new Array(10000).fill(Math.random()));
  }

  if (arrays.length > 5000) {
    arrays = arrays.slice(-1000);
  }

  console.log(`\n* Created ${arrays.length} arrays\n`);
}, 100);

// setFlagsFromString to stop tracing GC events after 1.5 seconds
setTimeout(() => {
  setFlagsFromString('--notrace-gc');
  console.log('\nStopped tracing!\n');
}, 1500);

// Stop triggering GC events altogether after 2.5 seconds
setTimeout(() => {
  clearInterval(interval);
}, 2500);
const { setFlagsFromString } = require('node:v8');
const { setInterval } = require('node:timers');

// setFlagsFromString to trace garbage collection events
setFlagsFromString('--trace-gc');

// Trigger GC events by using some memory
let arrays = [];
const interval = setInterval(() => {
  for (let i = 0; i < 500; i++) {
    arrays.push(new Array(10000).fill(Math.random()));
  }

  if (arrays.length > 5000) {
    arrays = arrays.slice(-1000);
  }

  console.log(`\n* Created ${arrays.length} arrays\n`);
}, 100);

// setFlagsFromString to stop tracing GC events after 1.5 seconds
setTimeout(() => {
  console.log('\nStopped tracing!\n');
  setFlagsFromString('--notrace-gc');
}, 1500);

// Stop triggering GC events altogether after 2.5 seconds
setTimeout(() => {
  clearInterval(interval);
}, 2500);
copy

v8.stopCoverage()#

The v8.stopCoverage() method allows the user to stop the coverage collection started by NODE_V8_COVERAGE, so that V8 can release the execution count records and optimize code. This can be used in conjunction with v8.takeCoverage() if the user wants to collect the coverage on demand.

v8.takeCoverage()#

The v8.takeCoverage() method allows the user to write the coverage started by NODE_V8_COVERAGE to disk on demand. This method can be invoked multiple times during the lifetime of the process. Each time the execution counter will be reset and a new coverage report will be written to the directory specified by NODE_V8_COVERAGE.

When the process is about to exit, one last coverage will still be written to disk unless v8.stopCoverage() is invoked before the process exits.

v8.writeHeapSnapshot([filename[,options]])#

• filename <string> The file path where the V8 heap snapshot is to be saved. If not specified, a file name with the pattern 'Heap-${yyyymmdd}-${hhmmss}-${pid}-${thread_id}.heapsnapshot' will be generated, where {pid} will be the PID of the Node.js process, {thread_id} will be 0 when writeHeapSnapshot() is called from the main Node.js thread or the id of a worker thread.
• options <Object>
  • exposeInternals <boolean> If true, expose internals in the heap snapshot. Default: false.
  • exposeNumericValues <boolean> If true, expose numeric values in artificial fields. Default: false.
• Returns: <string> The filename where the snapshot was saved.

Generates a snapshot of the current V8 heap and writes it to a JSON file. This file is intended to be used with tools such as Chrome DevTools. The JSON schema is undocumented and specific to the V8 engine, and may change from one version of V8 to the next.

A heap snapshot is specific to a single V8 isolate. When using worker threads, a heap snapshot generated from the main thread will not contain any information about the workers, and vice versa.

Creating a heap snapshot requires memory about twice the size of the heap at the time the snapshot is created. This results in the risk of OOM killers terminating the process.

Generating a snapshot is a synchronous operation which blocks the event loop for a duration depending on the heap size.

import { writeHeapSnapshot } from 'node:v8';
import { Worker, isMainThread, parentPort } from 'node:worker_threads';
import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';

if (isMainThread) {
  const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
  const worker = new Worker(__filename);

  worker.once('message', (filename) => {
    console.log(`worker heapdump: ${filename}`);
    // Now get a heapdump for the main thread.
    console.log(`main thread heapdump: ${writeHeapSnapshot()}`);
  });

  // Tell the worker to create a heapdump.
  worker.postMessage('heapdump');
} else {
  parentPort.once('message', (message) => {
    if (message === 'heapdump') {
      // Generate a heapdump for the worker
      // and return the filename to the parent.
      parentPort.postMessage(writeHeapSnapshot());
    }
  });
}
const { writeHeapSnapshot } = require('node:v8');
const { Worker, isMainThread, parentPort } = require('node:worker_threads');

if (isMainThread) {
  const worker = new Worker(__filename);

  worker.once('message', (filename) => {
    console.log(`worker heapdump: ${filename}`);
    // Now get a heapdump for the main thread.
    console.log(`main thread heapdump: ${writeHeapSnapshot()}`);
  });

  // Tell the worker to create a heapdump.
  worker.postMessage('heapdump');
} else {
  parentPort.once('message', (message) => {
    if (message === 'heapdump') {
      // Generate a heapdump for the worker
      // and return the filename to the parent.
      parentPort.postMessage(writeHeapSnapshot());
    }
  });
}
copy

v8.setHeapSnapshotNearHeapLimit(limit)#

• limit <integer>

The API is a no-op if --heapsnapshot-near-heap-limit is already set from the command line or the API is called more than once. limit must be a positive integer. See --heapsnapshot-near-heap-limit for more information.

Serialization API#

The serialization API provides means of serializing JavaScript values in a way that is compatible with the HTML structured clone algorithm.

The format is backward-compatible (i.e. safe to store to disk). Equal JavaScript values may result in different serialized output.

v8.serialize(value)#

• value <any>
• Returns: <Buffer>

Uses a DefaultSerializer to serialize value into a buffer.

ERR_BUFFER_TOO_LARGE will be thrown when trying to serialize a huge object which requires buffer larger than buffer.constants.MAX_LENGTH.

v8.deserialize(buffer)#

• buffer <Buffer> | <TypedArray> | <DataView> A buffer returned by serialize().

Uses a DefaultDeserializer with default options to read a JS value from a buffer.

Class: v8.Serializer#

new Serializer()#

Creates a new Serializer object.

serializer.writeHeader()#

Writes out a header, which includes the serialization format version.

serializer.writeValue(value)#

• value <any>

Serializes a JavaScript value and adds the serialized representation to the internal buffer.

This throws an error if value cannot be serialized.

serializer.releaseBuffer()#

• Returns: <Buffer>

Returns the stored internal buffer. This serializer should not be used once the buffer is released. Calling this method results in undefined behavior if a previous write has failed.

serializer.transferArrayBuffer(id, arrayBuffer)#

• id <integer> A 32-bit unsigned integer.
• arrayBuffer <ArrayBuffer> An ArrayBuffer instance.

Marks an ArrayBuffer as having its contents transferred out of band. Pass the corresponding ArrayBuffer in the deserializing context to deserializer.transferArrayBuffer().

serializer.writeUint32(value)#

• value <integer>

Write a raw 32-bit unsigned integer. For use inside of a custom serializer._writeHostObject().

serializer.writeUint64(hi, lo)#

• hi <integer>
• lo <integer>

Write a raw 64-bit unsigned integer, split into high and low 32-bit parts. For use inside of a custom serializer._writeHostObject().

serializer.writeDouble(value)#

• value