Inspect nested objects in Node.js

Have you ever tried to inspect a deeply nested object in Node.js, only to be frustrated by the compact output?

Take this array of restaurants:

const restaurants = [
  {
    name: 'Nando\'s',
    menus: {
      starters: [
        { name: 'Halloumi Sticks & Dip', price: 425 },
        { name: 'Houmous with PERi-PERi Drizzle', price: 425 },
        { name: 'Sweet Potato Wedges with Garlic PERinaise', price: 425 }
      ],
      mains: [
        { name: '1/4 Chicken', price: 425 },
        { name: '1/2 Chicken', price: 795 },
        { name: 'Whole Chicken', price: 1450 }
      ],
      desserts: [
        { name: 'Choc-A-Lot Cake', price: 475 },
        { name: 'Naughty Nata', price: 195 },
        { name: 'Bottomless Frozen Yoghurt', price: 295 }
      ]
    }
  }
];

If we invoke console.log(restaurants), this is the output we see in the console:

[
  {
    name: "Nando's",
    menus: { starters: [Array], mains: [Array], desserts: [Array] }
  }
]

What if we want to see the values inside the nested arrays?

The util.inspect() method

Enter the util.inspect() method!

Here's the official description of the util module:

The util module supports the needs of Node.js internal APIs. Many of the utilities are useful for application and module developers as well.

And the util.inspect() method:

The util.inspect() method returns a string representation of object that is intended for debugging.

Here's how we might use it, with my recommended options:

const { inspect } = require('util');

console.log(inspect(restaurants, {
  depth: Infinity, // Recurse up to the maximum call stack size.
  colors: true,    // Style the output with ANSI color codes.
  compact: false   // Display each object key on a new line.
}));

And here's the nicely formatted output:

[
  {
    name: "Nando's",
    menus: {
      starters: [
        {
          name: 'Halloumi Sticks & Dip',
          price: 425
        },
        {
          name: 'Houmous with PERi-PERi Drizzle',
          price: 425
        },
        {
          name: 'Sweet Potato Wedges with Garlic PERinaise',
          price: 425
        }
      ],
      mains: [
        {
          name: '1/4 Chicken',
          price: 425
        },
        {
          name: '1/2 Chicken',
          price: 795
        },
        {
          name: 'Whole Chicken',
          price: 1450
        }
      ],
      desserts: [
        {
          name: 'Choc-A-Lot Cake',
          price: 475
        },
        {
          name: 'Naughty Nata',
          price: 195
        },
        {
          name: 'Bottomless Frozen Yoghurt',
          price: 295
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]

For more formatting options, check the official documentation. I've put the code from this blog post in a Gist for your convenience.