Question 1

signal-exit vs Node.js process.on('exit') – which is better?

Accepted Answer

signal-exit is more reliable because it handles all exit causes, including signals, whereas process.on('exit') only fires on normal termination or explicit exit() calls. Use signal-exit for comprehensive cleanup in CLI tools or servers.

Question 2

How to use signal-exit to close database connections on exit?

Accepted Answer

Register a handler with onExit that calls your database close method. For example: onExit(() => db.close()). Ensure to handle async cleanup if needed, but note handlers run synchronously before exit.

Question 3

Does signal-exit work in browsers?

Accepted Answer

It provides a browser shim ('signal-exit/browser') that is a no-op, so it won't handle actual exits. It's meant for cross-environment code sharing, but browser exit handling requires window.onbeforeunload or similar APIs.

Question 4

Can signal-exit prevent a Node.js process from exiting?

Accepted Answer

Only for signal exits by returning true in the handler, but not for numeric code exits or fatal errors. You must manually call process.kill() to preserve exit status if you capture a signal.

Question 5

How do I remove a handler in signal-exit?

Accepted Answer

The onExit function returns a removal function; call it to unregister the handler. For instance: const remove = onExit(handler); later, remove() stops it from firing on exit.

Question 6

What signals does signal-exit handle?

Accepted Answer

It handles fatal signals like SIGINT, SIGTERM, etc., that would cause the process to exit, but only if no other listeners are present. Check Node.js documentation for signal specifics.

signal-exit

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