High CPU Usage when using Payload as dependency in monorepo

[sznski]

Describe the Bug

I wanted to separate the CMS instance and its consuming applications into different services for Next.js apps. However, when using Payload as a dependency in another Next.js app, I noticed extremely high CPU usage. It spawns multiple Node.js processes in the background, causing my CPU temperature to reach around 100°C.

This issue occurs whenever a change is made in the code—each change spawns another Node.js process.
It could be an issue with my macOS environment or Node.js configuration, but I only experience this behavior when using Payload as a dependency.
Would be great if someone could reproduce this on their machine and confirm if it’s a general issue.

Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/sznski/payload-high-cpu-usage

Reproduction Steps

1. pnpm install -r in repo root
2. pnpm dev in repo root
3. just move around, try to login admin panel or just refresh page or wait for it
4. change code, add console.log({posts}), console.log(posts.docs.length) and save files to refresh next

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

area: core

Environment Info

Binaries:
  Node: 20.18.1
  npm: 10.8.2
  Yarn: 1.22.22
  pnpm: 9.14.4
Relevant Packages:
  payload: 3.23.0
Operating System:
  Platform: darwin
  Arch: arm64
  Version: Darwin Kernel Version 24.3.0: Thu Jan  2 20:24:23 PST 2025; root:xnu-11215.81.4~3/RELEASE_ARM64_T6020
  Available memory (MB): 16384
  Available CPU cores: 12

[sznski]

Probably webpack issue. Using --turbo flag in dev script fixes this.