What does a 'console error' in Node.js typically indicate?

A 'console error' in Node.js generally signifies that an unhandled exception or a critical issue has occurred during the execution of your script. This could be anything from a syntax error to a runtime problem like trying to access a property of an undefined object, or a network request failing. Node.js will usually stop execution and report the error along with a stack trace to help pinpoint the source of the problem.