Real-time logging in supply chain management using Node.js

01 Oct 2023

In supply chain management, real-time logging is crucial for monitoring and tracking the movement of goods, analyzing operational efficiency, and identifying any bottlenecks or issues in the supply chain process. Node.js, with its event-driven architecture and asynchronous nature, is a powerful platform to implement real-time logging and monitoring systems.

Setting up the Node.js Environment

Before we begin, make sure you have Node.js installed on your machine. You can check the installation by running node -v in your terminal.

Installing Dependencies

To implement real-time logging in a Node.js application, we will be using the Express framework for handling HTTP requests and Socket.io for real-time communication between the server and clients.

Install the dependencies using npm:

npm install express socket.io --save

Creating the Server

First, let’s set up an Express server that will handle HTTP requests and serve the necessary client-side files.

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const server = require('http').Server(app);
const io = require('socket.io')(server);

app.use(express.static('public'));

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});

Handling Real-time Logging

Using Socket.io, we can establish a bidirectional communication channel between the server and clients. Whenever an event occurs in the supply chain management system that requires logging, such as the movement of goods or status updates, we can emit a socket event to notify the clients.

// Emitting a socket event when an event occurs in the supply chain
io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  // Listen for event from the client
  socket.on('movement', (data) => {
    // Perform necessary logging operations

    // Emit the event to all connected clients
    io.emit('movement', data);
  });
});

Displaying Real-time Logs on the Client

On the client-side, we can listen to the socket event emitted by the server and update the user interface accordingly to display the real-time logs.

const socket = io();

// Listen for movement event from the server
socket.on('movement', (data) => {
  // Update the UI with the latest movement log
  const logElement = document.getElementById('log');
  logElement.innerHTML += `<p>${data}</p>`;

  // Scroll to the bottom of the log
  logElement.scrollTop = logElement.scrollHeight;
});

Conclusion

Real-time logging enables supply chain managers to have better visibility and control over the movement of goods, leading to improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Node.js, with its event-driven and scalable nature, is a great choice for implementing real-time logging in supply chain management systems.