How to reconnect to a detached Phoenix Server

Phoenix Forum Questions / Help
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1

In my startup script I have this line:
PORT=xxxx MIX_ENV=prod elixir --erl “-detached” -S mix phx.server

This starts up the Phoenix Server in detached mode, I cant find anywhere online how I would ‘re-attach’ to the server to run commands, if somebody could direct me to some documentation for it, or show me how it would be much appreciated.

2

Why you start it in detached mode in the first place? Assuming it is for production:

  • Why you do not use release?
  • Why you do not use system supervisor to start and manage the daemon?
2 Likes
3
  1. This is for a small test server where I don’t want to use releases just to run my server overnight before I bring it down to start coding again in the morning. I will use releases for the Live Server.
  2. I have no idea what this means.
4

It means using systemd scripts (or similar) to start your release.

If it is just for test, I would use…

MIX_ENV=prod iex -S mix phx.server

… so that I can control the server from the console.

5

Ah yes, I use that but I turn off my laptop overnight therefore the shell process that it is running in gets cancelled.
Taking down the server.

6 
nohup MIX_ENV=prod iex -S mix phx.server &

I think it can help you. But making a release is very easy and very rewarding for your use case.
https://hexdocs.pm/mix/main/Mix.Tasks.Release.html

7

Yeah I may just have to take the plunge and do proper releases if I can’t find a way to reconnect to a running detached server.

8

Instead of detaching use TMux/Screen/dtach and then just connect to session when you want to use that node.