You can use the built-in watch mode instead of installing nodemon for many development workflows.

Instead of: nodemon server.js

You can simply run: node --watch server.js

Or,

 in your package.json:

{

  "scripts": {

    "dev": "node --watch server.js",

    "start": "node server.js"

  }

}

Then start your development server with:

npm run dev

Benefits of node --watch: 

✅ No extra dependency to install.

✅ Automatically restarts your application when files change.

✅ Built directly into Node.js.

When nodemon is still useful:

Nodemon still offers features that the built-in watcher doesn't, such as:

✅ Watching specific directories or file extensions.

✅ Running custom commands before restart.

✅ More advanced configuration via nodemon.json.

✅ Better support for some complex development setups.

For most Express.js projects, though, node --watch is sufficient and is becoming the preferred approach if you're using a modern Node.js version.