vscode Fail to Debug Express Webapp - express

Question

I'm trying to debug express (node) app on my machine, but debug does not start with no indication what so ever.
This happens on code I'm able to debug on another machine as well as "new" apps created in order to test this issue.
I followed the instructions on vscode site (https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/nodejs/nodejs-debugging) with no success.
Runtime works great - just fail to debug.
Behavior consist on all machine's users (admin/non-admin)
Does anyone have a clue?
My environment setup is:
operating System: Windows 10 Pro version 1803
node version: v10.13.0
vscode version: 1.28.2
This is vscode's trace (note the target not opened warning):
OS: win32 x64
Adapter node: v8.9.3 x64
vscode-chrome-debug-core: 6.7.19
11:20:18 AM, 11/7/2018
node-debug2: 1.28.3
From client: initialize({"clientID":"vscode","clientName":"Visual Studio Code","adapterID":"node2","pathFormat":"path","linesStartAt1":true,"columnsStartAt1":true,"supportsVariableType":true,"supportsVariablePaging":true,"supportsRunInTerminalRequest":true,"locale":"en-us"})
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"response","request_seq":1,"command":"initialize","success":true,"body":{"exceptionBreakpointFilters":[{"label":"All Exceptions","filter":"all","default":false},{"label":"Uncaught Exceptions","filter":"uncaught","default":false}],"supportsConfigurationDoneRequest":true,"supportsSetVariable":true,"supportsConditionalBreakpoints":true,"supportsCompletionsRequest":true,"supportsHitConditionalBreakpoints":true,"supportsRestartFrame":true,"supportsExceptionInfoRequest":true,"supportsDelayedStackTraceLoading":true,"supportsValueFormattingOptions":true,"supportsEvaluateForHovers":true,"supportsLoadedSourcesRequest":true,"supportsLogPoints":true,"supportsTerminateRequest":false}}
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"ClientRequest/initialize","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","successful":"true","timeTakenInMilliseconds":"3.774888","requestType":"request"}}}
From client: attach({"type":"node2","request":"attach","name":"Attach by Process ID","trace":true,"cwd":"c:\\Users\\roi\\dev\\janus\\src\\tools\\magento2-importer","port":9229,"protocol":"inspector","logFilePath":"c:\\Users\\roi\\AppData\\Roaming\\Code\\logs\\20181107T103352\\exthost1\\ms-vscode.node-debug\\debugadapter.txt","__sessionId":"910bc34a-3629-46b7-8c57-e89c06f5bda0"})
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"debugStarted","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","request":"attach","args":["type","request","name","trace","cwd","port","protocol","logFilePath","__sessionId","enableSourceMapCaching","sourceMapPathOverrides","showAsyncStacks","sourceMaps"]}}}
Getting browser and debug protocol version via http://127.0.0.1:9229/json/version
Discovering targets via http://127.0.0.1:9229/json/list
Got browser version: node.js/v10.13.0
Got debug protocol version: 1.1
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"targetDebugProtocolVersion","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3"}}}
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"targetCount","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","numTargets":1}}}
Attaching to target: {"description":"node.js instance","devtoolsFrontendUrl":"chrome-devtools://devtools/bundled/js_app.html?experiments=true&v8only=true&ws=localhost/a575db9e-d5a5-46a5-a49c-a553228c7493","devtoolsFrontendUrlCompat":"chrome-devtools://devtools/bundled/inspector.html?experiments=true&v8only=true&ws=localhost/a575db9e-d5a5-46a5-a49c-a553228c7493","faviconUrl":"https://nodejs.org/static/favicon.ico","id":"a575db9e-d5a5-46a5-a49c-a553228c7493","title":"dist/server.js","type":"node","url":"file://C:_Users_roi_dev_janus_src_tools_magento2-importer_dist_server.js","webSocketDebuggerUrl":"ws://127.0.0.1:9229/a575db9e-d5a5-46a5-a49c-a553228c7493","version":{}}
WebSocket Url: ws://127.0.0.1:9229/a575db9e-d5a5-46a5-a49c-a553228c7493
→ To target: "{\"id\":1,\"method\":\"Console.enable\"}"
→ To target: "{\"id\":2,\"method\":\"Debugger.enable\"}"
→ To target: "{\"id\":3,\"method\":\"Runtime.enable\"}"
→ To target: "{\"id\":4,\"method\":\"Log.enable\"}"
→ To target: "{\"id\":5,\"method\":\"Runtime.runIfWaitingForDebugger\"}"
→ Warning: Target not open! Message: "{\"id\":6,\"method\":\"Runtime.run\"}"
Websocket closed
Terminated: websocket closed
Waiting for any pending steps or log messages.
Current step and log messages complete
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"debugStopped","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","reason":"websocket closed"}}}
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"terminated"}
From client: disconnect({"restart":false})
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"FullSessionStatistics/SourceMaps/Overrides","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","aspNetClientAppFallbackCount":0}}}
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"report-start-up-timings","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","RequestedContentWasDetected":"false","Steps":"[\"BeforeFirstStep\",\"ClientRequest/initialize\",\"ClientRequest/attach\",\"Attach\",\"Attach.RequestDebuggerTargetsInformation\",\"Attach.ProcessDebuggerTargetsInformation\",\"Attach.AttachToTargetDebuggerWebsocket\",\"Attach.ConfigureDebuggingSession.Internal\",\"Attach.ConfigureDebuggingSession.Target\"]","All":"380.614371","BeforeFirstStep":"[18.487202]","WaitingAfter.ClientRequest/initialize":"[22.151169]","ClientRequest/initialize":"[4.841868]","ClientRequest/attach":"[4.11239]","Attach":"[8.248859]","Attach.RequestDebuggerTargetsInformation":"[12.433092]","Attach.ProcessDebuggerTargetsInformation":"[0.720004]","Attach.AttachToTargetDebuggerWebsocket":"[317.133643]","Attach.ConfigureDebuggingSession.Internal":"[0.81632]","Attach.ConfigureDebuggingSession.Target":"[13.309018]","RequestedContentWasNotDetectedReason":"shutdown"}}}
Terminated: Got disconnect request
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"response","request_seq":3,"command":"disconnect","success":true}
To client: {"seq":0,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"telemetry","output":"ClientRequest/disconnect","data":{"Versions.DebugAdapterCore":"6.7.19","Versions.DebugAdapter":"1.28.3","successful":"true","timeTakenInMilliseconds":"2.443434","requestType":"request"}}}
This is snippet of vscode screen after debuger was attached. as you can see debugger was attached, but no debug tool bar is present (and no breaks on breakpoints):

Answer 1

You can try to add launch.json by go to Debug->Add Configuration
And then choose Node.js Attach To Process
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"name": "Attach by Process ID",
"processId": "${command:PickProcess}"
},
{
"name": "Attach",
"type": "node",
"request": "attach",
"port": Your Port,
"address": "localhost",
"restart": false,
"sourceMaps": false,
"outDir": null,
"localRoot": "${workspaceRoot}",
"remoteRoot": null
}
]
}
Then run you server as usual, for example
> nodemon app.js
Set breakpoints
And hit Start Debugging
The debugger should kick in and you should smile :)