alter is a single-binary process manager inspired by PM2.
Run and manage any application — Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, .NET, PHP — from a single CLI with:
- Auto-restart with exponential backoff on crash
- Watch mode (restart on file changes)
- Namespaces for grouping and bulk-controlling processes
- Live log streaming in terminal and browser
- Real-time web dashboard at http://localhost:2999/
- State persistence (save/restore across reboots)
- Ecosystem config via TOML or JSON
- Full REST API
- No console window popups on Windows (CREATE_NO_WINDOW)
README
alter — Process Manager
> A fast, lightweight process manager for Windows (and cross-platform). Run and manage any application — Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, .NET, PHP — from a single binary with a built-in web dashboard.
Installation
WinGet (recommended)
winget install thechandanbhagat.alter
Manual installer
Download the latest alter-x.x.x-windows-x64-setup.exe from Releases and run it. alter.exe is added to your PATH automatically.
Features
No console window popups — processes run silently in the background (Windows)
Auto-restart with exponential backoff on crash
Watch mode — restart automatically on file changes
Namespaces — group and bulk-control related processes
Web dashboard — real-time process monitor at http://localhost:2999/
Live log streaming — tail logs in terminal or browser
State persistence — save and restore your process list across reboots
Ecosystem config — define all apps in one TOML or JSON file
# Start the daemon
alter daemon start
# Start processes
alter start python -- -m http.server 8080
alter start node --name api -- server.js
alter start "go run main.go" --name backend --cwd C:\projects\api
# List processes
alter list
# Stream logs
alter logs api --follow
# Open web dashboard
alter web # → http://127.0.0.1:2999/
