Node.js http2.aborted Method

Last Updated : 10 Aug, 2026

The http2.aborted property in Node.js indicates whether an HTTP/2 request was terminated before completion by the client. It helps developers detect interrupted requests and handle them appropriately.

  • It becomes true when the client closes the connection early.
  • It helps avoid unnecessary processing for incomplete requests.
  • It is useful for cleanup tasks like stopping ongoing operations.

Syntax:

request.aborted

Where:

  • request: The HTTP/2 server request object (Http2ServerRequest)
  • aborted: A boolean that is true if the request was aborted, otherwise false

Return Value: This method returns true if 'aborted' event is emitted otherwise false.

Example 1:

javascript 
const http2 = require('http2');
const fs = require('fs');

// Private key and public certificate for access
const options = {
  key: fs.readFileSync('private-key.pem'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('public-cert.pem'),
};

// Creating and initializing server
// by using http2.createServer() method
const server = http2.createServer(options);

server.on('stream', (stream, requestHeaders) => {
  stream.respond({ 
    ':status': 200, 
    'content-type': 'text/plain' 
  });

  stream.write('hello ');
  stream.end('world');

  // Checking abort event status
  // by using stream.aborted method
  const value = stream.aborted;

  if(value)
    console.log("abort event is emitted");
  else
    console.log("abort event is not emitted");
  
  // Stopping the server
  // by using the close() method
  server.close(() => {
    console.log("server closed");
  })
});

server.listen(8000);

// Creating and initializing client
// by using tls.connect() method
const client = http2.connect(
    'http://localhost:8000');

const req = client.request({ 
  ':method': 'GET', ':path': '/' });

req.on('response', (responseHeaders) => { 
  console.log("status : " 
  + responseHeaders[":status"]);
});

req.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log('Received: %s ',
  data.toString().replace(/(\n)/gm, ""));
});

req.on('end', () => {
  client.close(() => {
    console.log("client closed");
  })
});

Output:

abort event is not emitted
status : 200
Received: hello
Received: world
client closed
server closed

Example 2:

javascript 
const http2 = require('http2');
const fs = require('fs');

// Private key and public certificate for access
const options = {
  key: fs.readFileSync('private-key.pem'),
  cert: fs.readFileSync('public-cert.pem'),
};

// Creating and initializing server
// by using http2.createServer() method
const server = http2.createServer(options);

server.on('stream', (stream, requestHeaders) => {
  stream.end('world');

  // Checking abort event status
  // by using stream.aborted method
  const value = stream.aborted;

  if(value)
    console.log("abort event is emitted");
  else
    console.log("abort event is not emitted");
  
  // Stopping the server
  // by using the close() method
  server.close(() => {
    console.log("server closed");
  })
});

server.listen(8000);

// Creating and initializing client
// by using tls.connect() method
const client = http2.connect(
    'http://localhost:8000');

const req = client.request(
  { ':method': 'GET', ':path': '/' });

req.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log('Received: %s ',
  data.toString().replace(/(\n)/gm, ""));
});

req.on('end', () => {
  client.close(() => {
    console.log("client closed");
  })
});

Output:

abort event is not emitted
Received: world
client closed
server closed

Use Cases of http2.aborted Method:

  • Detect client disconnects: Check if the request was aborted before completing processing.
  • Stop ongoing operations: Cancel tasks like file streaming or database queries.
  • Avoid unnecessary work: Prevent further computation when the client is no longer waiting.
  • Prevent invalid responses: Ensure no response is sent to a closed connection.
  • Logging and monitoring: Track aborted requests for debugging and performance analysis.

Reference: https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v12.x/docs/api/http2.html#http2_http2stream_aborted

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