@push.rocks/smartexit

A library for managing graceful shutdowns of Node.js processes by handling cleanup operations, including terminating child processes.

readme.md for @push.rocks/smartexit

A library for managing graceful shutdowns of Node.js processes by handling cleanup operations, including terminating child processes.

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Install

To install @push.rocks/smartexit, use pnpm:

pnpm install @push.rocks/smartexit

Usage

@push.rocks/smartexit helps you gracefully shut down Node.js applications by running cleanup operations before the process exits. It handles signal interception (SIGINT, SIGTERM), uncaught exception management, and child process termination.

Basic Setup

import { SmartExit } from '@push.rocks/smartexit';

// Create an instance - this automatically hooks into process signals
const smartExit = new SmartExit();

Registering Cleanup Functions

Define custom async cleanup functions that execute before the process exits:

smartExit.addCleanupFunction(async () => {
  console.log('Closing database connections...');
  await database.close();
});

smartExit.addCleanupFunction(async () => {
  console.log('Flushing logs...');
  await logger.flush();
});

Managing Child Processes

Track spawned child processes so they get properly terminated on exit:

import { spawn } from 'child_process';

const childProcess = spawn('node', ['worker.js']);
smartExit.addProcess(childProcess);

// Remove from tracking if the process ends naturally
childProcess.on('exit', () => {
  smartExit.removeProcess(childProcess);
});

Kill Process Trees by PID

Terminate an entire process tree using the static killTreeByPid method:

import { SmartExit, type TProcessSignal } from '@push.rocks/smartexit';

// Kill with default SIGKILL
await SmartExit.killTreeByPid(12345);

// Kill with a specific signal
await SmartExit.killTreeByPid(12345, 'SIGTERM');

Triggering Cleanup Manually

While SmartExit automatically hooks into SIGINT, SIGTERM, and uncaught exceptions, you can manually trigger cleanup:

await smartExit.killAll();
process.exit(0);

Integrating with Express

Gracefully close an Express server on shutdown:

import express from 'express';
import { SmartExit } from '@push.rocks/smartexit';

const app = express();
const smartExit = new SmartExit();

const server = app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Server running on port 3000');
});

smartExit.addCleanupFunction(async () => {
  console.log('Closing Express server...');
  await new Promise<void>((resolve) => server.close(() => resolve()));
});

Available Process Signals

The TProcessSignal type provides all standard POSIX signals:

import type { TProcessSignal } from '@push.rocks/smartexit';

// Examples: 'SIGINT', 'SIGTERM', 'SIGKILL', 'SIGHUP', 'SIGUSR1', 'SIGUSR2', etc.

How It Works

When you create a SmartExit instance, it automatically:

  1. Hooks SIGINT (Ctrl+C): Runs cleanup and exits with code 0
  2. Hooks process exit: Runs cleanup when process.exit(0) is called
  3. Catches uncaught exceptions: Logs the error, runs cleanup, and exits with code 1

On killAll(), it:

This repository contains open-source code licensed under the MIT License. A copy of the license can be found in the LICENSE file.

Please note: The MIT License does not grant permission to use the trade names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of the project, except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing the origin of the work and reproducing the content of the NOTICE file.

Trademarks

This project is owned and maintained by Task Venture Capital GmbH. The names and logos associated with Task Venture Capital GmbH and any related products or services are trademarks of Task Venture Capital GmbH or third parties, and are not included within the scope of the MIT license granted herein.

Use of these trademarks must comply with Task Venture Capital GmbH's Trademark Guidelines or the guidelines of the respective third-party owners, and any usage must be approved in writing. Third-party trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners and used only in a descriptive manner, e.g. for an implementation of an API or similar.

Company Information

Task Venture Capital GmbH Registered at District Court Bremen HRB 35230 HB, Germany

By using this repository, you acknowledge that you have read this section, agree to comply with its terms, and understand that the licensing of the code does not imply endorsement by Task Venture Capital GmbH of any derivative works.

changelog.md for @push.rocks/smartexit

2026-03-04 - 2.0.3 - fix(smartexit)

use native OS methods to kill process trees; remove tree-kill dependency

2026-03-03 - 1.1.1 - fix(shutdown)

kill full child process trees and add synchronous exit handler to force-kill remaining child processes

2025-12-15 - 1.1.0 - feat(smartexit)

Add silent logging option, structured shutdown logs, and killAll return stats

2025-12-15 - 1.0.24 - fix(deps)

bump dependencies, update tests and docs, adjust tsconfig and npm release config

2024-05-29 - 1.0.23 - docs

Update package description.

2024-04-18 - 1.0.22 - fix(core)

Core fixes and maintenance.

2024-04-18 - 1.0.21 - core/build

Maintenance and config updates for 1.0.21.

2023-09-11 - 1.0.20 - maintenance

Organization and core adjustments.

2021-08-17 - 1.0.19 - 1.0.2 - maintenance

Multiple minor core fixes and release/tag-only commits (grouped).

2019-05-23 - 1.0.8 - fix(core)

Improve process termination behavior.

2019-05-22 - 1.0.7 - fix(core)

Stronger process kill handling.

2019-05-16 - 1.0.1 - init

Initial core commit.