Node.js: client doesn't die when TCP connection closes

Question

I built a simple TCP server and a simple TCP client in Node.js

Now, when the client sends "exit" to the server, the connection is successfully closed. The server deletes the socket from its sockets list and sends "Bye bye!" to the client.

The connection on the client is closed as well but the app is still waiting for other inputs, so it doesn't die and I'm forced to type CTRL+C.

I tried adding process.exit() after connection closes but it doesn't work:

CLIENT CODE:

var net = require('net'),
    config = require(__dirname + '/config.json'),
    connection = net.createConnection(config.port, config.host);

connection.setEncoding('utf8');

connection.on('connect', function () {
    console.log('Connected');
});

connection.on('error', function (err) {
    console.error(err);
});

connection.on('data', function (data) {
    console.log('» ' + data);
});

connection.on('close', function() {
    console.log('Connection closed');
});

process.stdin.on('data', function (data) {

    if ((new String(data)).toLowerCase() === 'exit') {
        connection.end();
        process.exit();
    }
    else {
        connection.write(data);
    }

});

process.stdin.resume();

SERVER CODE:

var server = require('net').createServer(),
    config = require(__dirname + '/config.json'),
    sockets = [];

server.on('connection', function (socket) {
    socket.setEncoding('UTF-8');

    socket.on('data', function (data) {

        console.log('Received data: ' + data);

        if (data.trim().toLowerCase() === 'exit') {
            socket.write("Bye bye!\n");
            socket.end();
        }
        else {
            sockets.forEach(function (client) {
                if (client && client != socket) {
                    client.write(data);
                }
            });
        }

    });

    socket.on('close', function () {
        console.log('Connection closed');
        sockets.splice(sockets.indexOf(socket), 1);

        console.info('Sockets connected: ' + sockets.length);
    });

    sockets.push(socket);
});

server.on('listening', function () {
    console.log('Server listening');
});

server.on('close', function () {
    console.log('Server is now closed');
});

server.on('error', function (err) {
    console.log('error:', err);
});

server.listen(config.port);

EDIT:

I added a client connection "on close" event handler. So, the string "Connection closed" is now printed by the server and by the client too.

Answer 1

You have to put the process.exit() instruction only on the last event handler. So, in this case you have to put it inside the client connection "on close" event handler:

CLIENT:

connection.on('close', function() {
    console.log('Connection closed');
    process.exit();
});