Spawning child processes enables Node.js applications to execute external commands and programs with real-time output streaming and better resource management than buffered alternatives. As the creator of CoreUI, a widely used open-source UI library, I’ve implemented process spawning in Node.js build tools throughout my 11 years of backend development. The most efficient approach is using the spawn method from the child_process module for commands that produce large outputs or run for extended periods. This method streams output as it becomes available, preventing memory issues with large data.