> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://psys.alexcgomez.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Production Setup

> Run psys as a background process in production

For production environments, psys can run as a background process with no terminal output, making it ideal for continuous monitoring.

## Background Process Mode

The `start:bg` script runs psys as a detached background process that continues running even after closing your terminal.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Build the production bundle">
    Build the application at least once before starting in background mode:

    ```bash theme={null}
    npm run build
    ```

    This creates an optimized production build using `next build`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the background server">
    ```bash theme={null}
    npm run start:bg
    ```

    This runs the command:

    ```bash theme={null}
    nohup next start -p 30999 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Access the application">
    Open [http://localhost:30999](http://localhost:30999) in your browser.

    The app continues running in the background on port **30999**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Background Script Breakdown

The `start:bg` script uses several techniques to run as a background process:

```bash theme={null}
nohup next start -p 30999 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
```

| Component     | Purpose                                                             |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `nohup`       | Prevents the process from being terminated when the terminal closes |
| `next start`  | Starts the Next.js production server                                |
| `-p 30999`    | Runs on port 30999 instead of the default 3000                      |
| `> /dev/null` | Redirects standard output to null (no terminal output)              |
| `2>&1`        | Redirects standard error to standard output (also suppressed)       |
| `&`           | Runs the command in the background                                  |

<Note>
  With this configuration, the server produces **no terminal output**. To monitor the application, access it through the web interface or check system logs.
</Note>

## When to Use Each Mode

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Development Mode" icon="code">
    Use `npm run dev` when:

    * Developing new features
    * Testing changes with hot reload
    * Debugging issues
    * Need detailed error messages
  </Card>

  <Card title="Production Mode" icon="play">
    Use `npm start` when:

    * Running in production
    * Need optimized performance
    * Want to test production build locally
    * Terminal needs to stay open
  </Card>

  <Card title="Background Mode" icon="server">
    Use `npm run start:bg` when:

    * Running continuously in production
    * Want to close the terminal
    * Need a dedicated monitoring port
    * Running as a system service
  </Card>

  <Card title="Never Use" icon="xmark">
    Don't use `npm run dev` in production:

    * Slower performance
    * Larger memory footprint
    * Security implications
    * Not optimized for production workloads
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Stopping the Background Process

To stop a background process started with `npm run start:bg`:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the process ID">
    ```bash theme={null}
    ps aux | grep "next start"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Kill the process">
    ```bash theme={null}
    kill <PID>
    ```

    Replace `<PID>` with the process ID from the previous step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  For easier process management, consider setting up a [shell alias](/config/shell-aliases) to start and stop psys with simple commands.
</Tip>