nodejs/doc/api/vm.markdown

# Executing JavaScript

    Stability: 2 - Stable

<!--name=vm-->

You can access this module with:

    var vm = require('vm');

JavaScript code can be compiled and run immediately or compiled, saved, and run
later.

## Class: Script

A class for holding precompiled scripts, and running them in specific sandboxes.

### new vm.Script(code, options)

Creating a new `Script` compiles `code` but does not run it. Instead, the
created `vm.Script` object represents this compiled code. This script can be run
later many times using methods below. The returned script is not bound to any
global object. It is bound before each run, just for that run.

The options when creating a script are:

- `filename`: allows you to control the filename that shows up in any stack
  traces produced from this script.
- `lineOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the line number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `columnOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the column number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `displayErrors`: whether or not to print any errors to stderr, with the
  line of code that caused them highlighted, before throwing an exception.
  Applies only to syntax errors compiling the code; errors while running the
  code are controlled by the options to the script's methods.
- `timeout`: a number of milliseconds to execute `code` before terminating
  execution. If execution is terminated, an [`Error`][] will be thrown.

### script.runInContext(contextifiedSandbox[, options])

Similar to `vm.runInContext` but a method of a precompiled `Script` object.
`script.runInContext` runs `script`'s compiled code in `contextifiedSandbox`
and returns the result. Running code does not have access to local scope.

`script.runInContext` takes the same options as `script.runInThisContext`.

Example: compile code that increments a global variable and sets one, then
execute the code multiple times. These globals are contained in the sandbox.

    var util = require('util');
    var vm = require('vm');

    var sandbox = {
      animal: 'cat',
      count: 2
    };

    var context = new vm.createContext(sandbox);
    var script = new vm.Script('count += 1; name = "kitty"');

    for (var i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
      script.runInContext(context);
    }

    console.log(util.inspect(sandbox));

    // { animal: 'cat', count: 12, name: 'kitty' }

Note that running untrusted code is a tricky business requiring great care.
`script.runInContext` is quite useful, but safely running untrusted code
requires a separate process.

### script.runInNewContext([sandbox][, options])

Similar to `vm.runInNewContext` but a method of a precompiled `Script` object.
`script.runInNewContext` contextifies `sandbox` if passed or creates a new
contextified sandbox if it's omitted, and then runs `script`'s compiled code
with the sandbox as the global object and returns the result. Running code does
not have access to local scope.

`script.runInNewContext` takes the same options as `script.runInThisContext`.

Example: compile code that sets a global variable, then execute the code
multiple times in different contexts. These globals are set on and contained in
the sandboxes.

    var util = require('util');
    var vm = require('vm');

    var sandboxes = [{}, {}, {}];

    var script = new vm.Script('globalVar = "set"');

    sandboxes.forEach(function (sandbox) {
      script.runInNewContext(sandbox);
    });

    console.log(util.inspect(sandboxes));

    // [{ globalVar: 'set' }, { globalVar: 'set' }, { globalVar: 'set' }]

Note that running untrusted code is a tricky business requiring great care.
`script.runInNewContext` is quite useful, but safely running untrusted code
requires a separate process.

### script.runInThisContext([options])

Similar to `vm.runInThisContext` but a method of a precompiled `Script` object.
`script.runInThisContext` runs `script`'s compiled code and returns the result.
Running code does not have access to local scope, but does have access to the
current `global` object.

Example of using `script.runInThisContext` to compile code once and run it
multiple times:

    var vm = require('vm');

    global.globalVar = 0;

    var script = new vm.Script('globalVar += 1', { filename: 'myfile.vm' });

    for (var i = 0; i < 1000; ++i) {
      script.runInThisContext();
    }

    console.log(globalVar);

    // 1000

The options for running a script are:

- `filename`: allows you to control the filename that shows up in any stack
  traces produced.
- `lineOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the line number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `columnOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the column number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `displayErrors`: whether or not to print any errors to stderr, with the
  line of code that caused them highlighted, before throwing an exception.
  Applies only to runtime errors executing the code; it is impossible to create
  a `Script` instance with syntax errors, as the constructor will throw.
- `timeout`: a number of milliseconds to execute the script before terminating
  execution. If execution is terminated, an [`Error`][] will be thrown.

## vm.createContext([sandbox])

If given a `sandbox` object, will "contextify" that sandbox so that it can be
used in calls to `vm.runInContext` or `script.runInContext`. Inside scripts run
as such, `sandbox` will be the global object, retaining all its existing
properties but also having the built-in objects and functions any standard
[global object][] has. Outside of scripts run by the vm module, `sandbox` will
be unchanged.

If not given a sandbox object, returns a new, empty contextified sandbox object
you can use.

This function is useful for creating a sandbox that can be used to run multiple
scripts, e.g. if you were emulating a web browser it could be used to create a
single sandbox representing a window's global object, then run all `<script>`
tags together inside that sandbox.

## vm.isContext(sandbox)

Returns whether or not a sandbox object has been contextified by calling
`vm.createContext` on it.

## vm.runInContext(code, contextifiedSandbox[, options])

`vm.runInContext` compiles `code`, then runs it in `contextifiedSandbox` and
returns the result. Running code does not have access to local scope. The
`contextifiedSandbox` object must have been previously contextified via
`vm.createContext`; it will be used as the global object for `code`.

`vm.runInContext` takes the same options as `vm.runInThisContext`.

Example: compile and execute different scripts in a single existing context.

    var util = require('util');
    var vm = require('vm');

    var sandbox = { globalVar: 1 };
    vm.createContext(sandbox);

    for (var i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
        vm.runInContext('globalVar *= 2;', sandbox);
    }
    console.log(util.inspect(sandbox));

    // { globalVar: 1024 }

Note that running untrusted code is a tricky business requiring great care.
`vm.runInContext` is quite useful, but safely running untrusted code requires a
separate process.

## vm.runInDebugContext(code)

`vm.runInDebugContext` compiles and executes `code` inside the V8 debug context.
The primary use case is to get access to the V8 debug object:

    var Debug = vm.runInDebugContext('Debug');
    Debug.scripts().forEach(function(script) { console.log(script.name); });

Note that the debug context and object are intrinsically tied to V8's debugger
implementation and may change (or even get removed) without prior warning.

The debug object can also be exposed with the `--expose_debug_as=` switch.

## vm.runInNewContext(code[, sandbox][, options])

`vm.runInNewContext` compiles `code`, contextifies `sandbox` if passed or
creates a new contextified sandbox if it's omitted, and then runs the code with
the sandbox as the global object and returns the result.

`vm.runInNewContext` takes the same options as `vm.runInThisContext`.

Example: compile and execute code that increments a global variable and sets a
new one. These globals are contained in the sandbox.

    var util = require('util');
    var vm = require('vm');

    var sandbox = {
      animal: 'cat',
      count: 2
    };

    vm.runInNewContext('count += 1; name = "kitty"', sandbox);
    console.log(util.inspect(sandbox));

    // { animal: 'cat', count: 3, name: 'kitty' }

Note that running untrusted code is a tricky business requiring great care.
`vm.runInNewContext` is quite useful, but safely running untrusted code requires
a separate process.

## vm.runInThisContext(code[, options])

`vm.runInThisContext()` compiles `code`, runs it and returns the result. Running
code does not have access to local scope, but does have access to the current
`global` object.

Example of using `vm.runInThisContext` and `eval` to run the same code:

    var vm = require('vm');
    var localVar = 'initial value';

    var vmResult = vm.runInThisContext('localVar = "vm";');
    console.log('vmResult: ', vmResult);
    console.log('localVar: ', localVar);

    var evalResult = eval('localVar = "eval";');
    console.log('evalResult: ', evalResult);
    console.log('localVar: ', localVar);

    // vmResult: 'vm', localVar: 'initial value'
    // evalResult: 'eval', localVar: 'eval'

`vm.runInThisContext` does not have access to the local scope, so `localVar` is
unchanged. `eval` does have access to the local scope, so `localVar` is changed.

In this way `vm.runInThisContext` is much like an [indirect `eval` call][],
e.g. `(0,eval)('code')`. However, it also has the following additional options:

- `filename`: allows you to control the filename that shows up in any stack
  traces produced.
- `lineOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the line number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `columnOffset`: allows you to add an offset to the column number that is
  displayed in stack traces
- `displayErrors`: whether or not to print any errors to stderr, with the
  line of code that caused them highlighted, before throwing an exception.
  Will capture both syntax errors from compiling `code` and runtime errors
  thrown by executing the compiled code. Defaults to `true`.
- `timeout`: a number of milliseconds to execute `code` before terminating
  execution. If execution is terminated, an [`Error`][] will be thrown.

[indirect `eval` call]: http://es5.github.io/#x10.4.2
[global object]: http://es5.github.io/#x15.1
[`Error`]: errors.html#errors_class_error