# Events
<!--introduced_in=v0.10.0-->
> Stability: 2 - Stable
<!--type=module-->
<!-- source_link=lib/events.js -->
Much of the Node.js core API is built around an idiomatic asynchronous
event-driven architecture in which certain kinds of objects (called "emitters")
emit named events that cause `Function` objects ("listeners") to be called.
For instance: a [`net.Server`][] object emits an event each time a peer
connects to it; a [`fs.ReadStream`][] emits an event when the file is opened;
a [stream][] emits an event whenever data is available to be read.
All objects that emit events are instances of the `EventEmitter` class. These
objects expose an `eventEmitter.on()` function that allows one or more
functions to be attached to named events emitted by the object. Typically,
event names are camel-cased strings but any valid JavaScript property key
can be used.
When the `EventEmitter` object emits an event, all of the functions attached
to that specific event are called _synchronously_. Any values returned by the
called listeners are _ignored_ and discarded.
The following example shows a simple `EventEmitter` instance with a single
listener. The `eventEmitter.on()` method is used to register listeners, while
the `eventEmitter.emit()` method is used to trigger the event.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('an event occurred!');
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('an event occurred!');
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
```
## Passing arguments and `this` to listeners
The `eventEmitter.emit()` method allows an arbitrary set of arguments to be
passed to the listener functions. Keep in mind that when
an ordinary listener function is called, the standard `this` keyword
is intentionally set to reference the `EventEmitter` instance to which the
listener is attached.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', function(a, b) {
console.log(a, b, this, this === myEmitter);
// Prints:
// a b MyEmitter {
// _events: [Object: null prototype] { event: [Function (anonymous)] },
// _eventsCount: 1,
// _maxListeners: undefined,
// [Symbol(kCapture)]: false
// } true
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', function(a, b) {
console.log(a, b, this, this === myEmitter);
// Prints:
// a b MyEmitter {
// _events: [Object: null prototype] { event: [Function (anonymous)] },
// _eventsCount: 1,
// _maxListeners: undefined,
// [Symbol(kCapture)]: false
// } true
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
It is possible to use ES6 Arrow Functions as listeners, however, when doing so,
the `this` keyword will no longer reference the `EventEmitter` instance:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', (a, b) => {
console.log(a, b, this);
// Prints: a b {}
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', (a, b) => {
console.log(a, b, this);
// Prints: a b {}
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
## Asynchronous vs. synchronous
The `EventEmitter` calls all listeners synchronously in the order in which
they were registered. This ensures the proper sequencing of
events and helps avoid race conditions and logic errors. When appropriate,
listener functions can switch to an asynchronous mode of operation using
the `setImmediate()` or `process.nextTick()` methods:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', (a, b) => {
setImmediate(() => {
console.log('this happens asynchronously');
});
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', (a, b) => {
setImmediate(() => {
console.log('this happens asynchronously');
});
});
myEmitter.emit('event', 'a', 'b');
```
## Handling events only once
When a listener is registered using the `eventEmitter.on()` method, that
listener is invoked _every time_ the named event is emitted.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
let m = 0;
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log(++m);
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 1
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 2
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
let m = 0;
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log(++m);
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 1
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 2
```
Using the `eventEmitter.once()` method, it is possible to register a listener
that is called at most once for a particular event. Once the event is emitted,
the listener is unregistered and _then_ called.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
let m = 0;
myEmitter.once('event', () => {
console.log(++m);
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 1
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Ignored
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
let m = 0;
myEmitter.once('event', () => {
console.log(++m);
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints: 1
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Ignored
```
## Error events
When an error occurs within an `EventEmitter` instance, the typical action is
for an `'error'` event to be emitted. These are treated as special cases
within Node.js.
If an `EventEmitter` does _not_ have at least one listener registered for the
`'error'` event, and an `'error'` event is emitted, the error is thrown, a
stack trace is printed, and the Node.js process exits.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Throws and crashes Node.js
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Throws and crashes Node.js
```
To guard against crashing the Node.js process the [`domain`][] module can be
used. (Note, however, that the `node:domain` module is deprecated.)
As a best practice, listeners should always be added for the `'error'` events.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('error', (err) => {
console.error('whoops! there was an error');
});
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Prints: whoops! there was an error
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
myEmitter.on('error', (err) => {
console.error('whoops! there was an error');
});
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Prints: whoops! there was an error
```
It is possible to monitor `'error'` events without consuming the emitted error
by installing a listener using the symbol `events.errorMonitor`.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, errorMonitor } from 'node:events';
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
myEmitter.on(errorMonitor, (err) => {
MyMonitoringTool.log(err);
});
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Still throws and crashes Node.js
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, errorMonitor } = require('node:events');
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
myEmitter.on(errorMonitor, (err) => {
MyMonitoringTool.log(err);
});
myEmitter.emit('error', new Error('whoops!'));
// Still throws and crashes Node.js
```
## Capture rejections of promises
Using `async` functions with event handlers is problematic, because it
can lead to an unhandled rejection in case of a thrown exception:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
ee.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const ee = new EventEmitter();
ee.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
```
The `captureRejections` option in the `EventEmitter` constructor or the global
setting change this behavior, installing a `.then(undefined, handler)`
handler on the `Promise`. This handler routes the exception
asynchronously to the [`Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')`][rejection] method
if there is one, or to [`'error'`][error] event handler if there is none.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const ee1 = new EventEmitter({ captureRejections: true });
ee1.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee1.on('error', console.log);
const ee2 = new EventEmitter({ captureRejections: true });
ee2.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee2[Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')] = console.log;
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const ee1 = new EventEmitter({ captureRejections: true });
ee1.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee1.on('error', console.log);
const ee2 = new EventEmitter({ captureRejections: true });
ee2.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee2[Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')] = console.log;
```
Setting `events.captureRejections = true` will change the default for all
new instances of `EventEmitter`.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
EventEmitter.captureRejections = true;
const ee1 = new EventEmitter();
ee1.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee1.on('error', console.log);
```
```cjs
const events = require('node:events');
events.captureRejections = true;
const ee1 = new events.EventEmitter();
ee1.on('something', async (value) => {
throw new Error('kaboom');
});
ee1.on('error', console.log);
```
The `'error'` events that are generated by the `captureRejections` behavior
do not have a catch handler to avoid infinite error loops: the
recommendation is to **not use `async` functions as `'error'` event handlers**.
## Class: `EventEmitter`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.26
changes:
- version:
- v13.4.0
- v12.16.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/27867
description: Added captureRejections option.
-->
The `EventEmitter` class is defined and exposed by the `node:events` module:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
```
All `EventEmitter`s emit the event `'newListener'` when new listeners are
added and `'removeListener'` when existing listeners are removed.
It supports the following option:
* `captureRejections` {boolean} It enables
[automatic capturing of promise rejection][capturerejections].
**Default:** `false`.
### Event: `'newListener'`
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-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event being listened for
* `listener` {Function} The event handler function
The `EventEmitter` instance will emit its own `'newListener'` event _before_
a listener is added to its internal array of listeners.
Listeners registered for the `'newListener'` event are passed the event
name and a reference to the listener being added.
The fact that the event is triggered before adding the listener has a subtle
but important side effect: any _additional_ listeners registered to the same
`name` _within_ the `'newListener'` callback are inserted _before_ the
listener that is in the process of being added.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
// Only do this once so we don't loop forever
myEmitter.once('newListener', (event, listener) => {
if (event === 'event') {
// Insert a new listener in front
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('B');
});
}
});
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('A');
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// B
// A
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
// Only do this once so we don't loop forever
myEmitter.once('newListener', (event, listener) => {
if (event === 'event') {
// Insert a new listener in front
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('B');
});
}
});
myEmitter.on('event', () => {
console.log('A');
});
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// B
// A
```
### Event: `'removeListener'`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.9.3
changes:
- version:
- v6.1.0
- v4.7.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/6394
description: For listeners attached using `.once()`, the `listener` argument
now yields the original listener function.
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The event name
* `listener` {Function} The event handler function
The `'removeListener'` event is emitted _after_ the `listener` is removed.
### `emitter.addListener(eventName, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.26
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* `listener` {Function}
Alias for `emitter.on(eventName, listener)`.
### `emitter.emit(eventName[, ...args])`
<!-- YAML
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-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* `...args` {any}
* Returns: {boolean}
Synchronously calls each of the listeners registered for the event named
`eventName`, in the order they were registered, passing the supplied arguments
to each.
Returns `true` if the event had listeners, `false` otherwise.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
// First listener
myEmitter.on('event', function firstListener() {
console.log('Helloooo! first listener');
});
// Second listener
myEmitter.on('event', function secondListener(arg1, arg2) {
console.log(`event with parameters ${arg1}, ${arg2} in second listener`);
});
// Third listener
myEmitter.on('event', function thirdListener(...args) {
const parameters = args.join(', ');
console.log(`event with parameters ${parameters} in third listener`);
});
console.log(myEmitter.listeners('event'));
myEmitter.emit('event', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
// Prints:
// [
// [Function: firstListener],
// [Function: secondListener],
// [Function: thirdListener]
// ]
// Helloooo! first listener
// event with parameters 1, 2 in second listener
// event with parameters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in third listener
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
// First listener
myEmitter.on('event', function firstListener() {
console.log('Helloooo! first listener');
});
// Second listener
myEmitter.on('event', function secondListener(arg1, arg2) {
console.log(`event with parameters ${arg1}, ${arg2} in second listener`);
});
// Third listener
myEmitter.on('event', function thirdListener(...args) {
const parameters = args.join(', ');
console.log(`event with parameters ${parameters} in third listener`);
});
console.log(myEmitter.listeners('event'));
myEmitter.emit('event', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
// Prints:
// [
// [Function: firstListener],
// [Function: secondListener],
// [Function: thirdListener]
// ]
// Helloooo! first listener
// event with parameters 1, 2 in second listener
// event with parameters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in third listener
```
### `emitter.eventNames()`
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-->
* Returns: {Array}
Returns an array listing the events for which the emitter has registered
listeners. The values in the array are strings or `Symbol`s.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => {});
myEE.on('bar', () => {});
const sym = Symbol('symbol');
myEE.on(sym, () => {});
console.log(myEE.eventNames());
// Prints: [ 'foo', 'bar', Symbol(symbol) ]
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => {});
myEE.on('bar', () => {});
const sym = Symbol('symbol');
myEE.on(sym, () => {});
console.log(myEE.eventNames());
// Prints: [ 'foo', 'bar', Symbol(symbol) ]
```
### `emitter.getMaxListeners()`
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-->
* Returns: {integer}
Returns the current max listener value for the `EventEmitter` which is either
set by [`emitter.setMaxListeners(n)`][] or defaults to
[`events.defaultMaxListeners`][].
### `emitter.listenerCount(eventName[, listener])`
<!-- YAML
added: v3.2.0
changes:
- version: v18.16.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/46523
description: Added the `listener` argument.
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event being listened for
* `listener` {Function} The event handler function
* Returns: {integer}
Returns the number of listeners listening for the event named `eventName`.
If `listener` is provided, it will return how many times the listener is found
in the list of the listeners of the event.
### `emitter.listeners(eventName)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.26
changes:
- version: v7.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/6881
description: For listeners attached using `.once()` this returns the
original listeners instead of wrapper functions now.
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* Returns: {Function\[]}
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named `eventName`.
```js
server.on('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
console.log(util.inspect(server.listeners('connection')));
// Prints: [ [Function] ]
```
### `emitter.off(eventName, listener)`
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added: v10.0.0
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* `listener` {Function}
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Alias for [`emitter.removeListener()`][].
### `emitter.on(eventName, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.1.101
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event.
* `listener` {Function} The callback function
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Adds the `listener` function to the end of the listeners array for the
event named `eventName`. No checks are made to see if the `listener` has
already been added. Multiple calls passing the same combination of `eventName`
and `listener` will result in the `listener` being added, and called, multiple
times.
```js
server.on('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
```
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
`emitter.prependListener()` method can be used as an alternative to add the
event listener to the beginning of the listeners array.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
```
### `emitter.once(eventName, listener)`
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added: v0.3.0
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event.
* `listener` {Function} The callback function
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Adds a **one-time** `listener` function for the event named `eventName`. The
next time `eventName` is triggered, this listener is removed and then invoked.
```js
server.once('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('Ah, we have our first user!');
});
```
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
`emitter.prependOnceListener()` method can be used as an alternative to add the
event listener to the beginning of the listeners array.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.once('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependOnceListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.once('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependOnceListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
```
### `emitter.prependListener(eventName, listener)`
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-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event.
* `listener` {Function} The callback function
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Adds the `listener` function to the _beginning_ of the listeners array for the
event named `eventName`. No checks are made to see if the `listener` has
already been added. Multiple calls passing the same combination of `eventName`
and `listener` will result in the `listener` being added, and called, multiple
times.
```js
server.prependListener('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
```
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
### `emitter.prependOnceListener(eventName, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v6.0.0
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event.
* `listener` {Function} The callback function
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Adds a **one-time** `listener` function for the event named `eventName` to the
_beginning_ of the listeners array. The next time `eventName` is triggered, this
listener is removed, and then invoked.
```js
server.prependOnceListener('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('Ah, we have our first user!');
});
```
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
### `emitter.removeAllListeners([eventName])`
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* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Removes all listeners, or those of the specified `eventName`.
It is bad practice to remove listeners added elsewhere in the code,
particularly when the `EventEmitter` instance was created by some other
component or module (e.g. sockets or file streams).
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
### `emitter.removeListener(eventName, listener)`
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added: v0.1.26
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* `listener` {Function}
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
Removes the specified `listener` from the listener array for the event named
`eventName`.
```js
const callback = (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
};
server.on('connection', callback);
// ...
server.removeListener('connection', callback);
```
`removeListener()` will remove, at most, one instance of a listener from the
listener array. If any single listener has been added multiple times to the
listener array for the specified `eventName`, then `removeListener()` must be
called multiple times to remove each instance.
Once an event is emitted, all listeners attached to it at the
time of emitting are called in order. This implies that any
`removeListener()` or `removeAllListeners()` calls _after_ emitting and
_before_ the last listener finishes execution will not remove them from
`emit()` in progress. Subsequent events behave as expected.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
const callbackA = () => {
console.log('A');
myEmitter.removeListener('event', callbackB);
};
const callbackB = () => {
console.log('B');
};
myEmitter.on('event', callbackA);
myEmitter.on('event', callbackB);
// callbackA removes listener callbackB but it will still be called.
// Internal listener array at time of emit [callbackA, callbackB]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
// B
// callbackB is now removed.
// Internal listener array [callbackA]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
const callbackA = () => {
console.log('A');
myEmitter.removeListener('event', callbackB);
};
const callbackB = () => {
console.log('B');
};
myEmitter.on('event', callbackA);
myEmitter.on('event', callbackB);
// callbackA removes listener callbackB but it will still be called.
// Internal listener array at time of emit [callbackA, callbackB]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
// B
// callbackB is now removed.
// Internal listener array [callbackA]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
```
Because listeners are managed using an internal array, calling this will
change the position indices of any listener registered _after_ the listener
being removed. This will not impact the order in which listeners are called,
but it means that any copies of the listener array as returned by
the `emitter.listeners()` method will need to be recreated.
When a single function has been added as a handler multiple times for a single
event (as in the example below), `removeListener()` will remove the most
recently added instance. In the example the `once('ping')`
listener is removed:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
function pong() {
console.log('pong');
}
ee.on('ping', pong);
ee.once('ping', pong);
ee.removeListener('ping', pong);
ee.emit('ping');
ee.emit('ping');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const ee = new EventEmitter();
function pong() {
console.log('pong');
}
ee.on('ping', pong);
ee.once('ping', pong);
ee.removeListener('ping', pong);
ee.emit('ping');
ee.emit('ping');
```
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
### `emitter.setMaxListeners(n)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.3.5
-->
* `n` {integer}
* Returns: {EventEmitter}
By default `EventEmitter`s will print a warning if more than `10` listeners are
added for a particular event. This is a useful default that helps finding
memory leaks. The `emitter.setMaxListeners()` method allows the limit to be
modified for this specific `EventEmitter` instance. The value can be set to
`Infinity` (or `0`) to indicate an unlimited number of listeners.
Returns a reference to the `EventEmitter`, so that calls can be chained.
### `emitter.rawListeners(eventName)`
<!-- YAML
added: v9.4.0
-->
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* Returns: {Function\[]}
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named `eventName`,
including any wrappers (such as those created by `.once()`).
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
emitter.once('log', () => console.log('log once'));
// Returns a new Array with a function `onceWrapper` which has a property
// `listener` which contains the original listener bound above
const listeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
const logFnWrapper = listeners[0];
// Logs "log once" to the console and does not unbind the `once` event
logFnWrapper.listener();
// Logs "log once" to the console and removes the listener
logFnWrapper();
emitter.on('log', () => console.log('log persistently'));
// Will return a new Array with a single function bound by `.on()` above
const newListeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
// Logs "log persistently" twice
newListeners[0]();
emitter.emit('log');
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
emitter.once('log', () => console.log('log once'));
// Returns a new Array with a function `onceWrapper` which has a property
// `listener` which contains the original listener bound above
const listeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
const logFnWrapper = listeners[0];
// Logs "log once" to the console and does not unbind the `once` event
logFnWrapper.listener();
// Logs "log once" to the console and removes the listener
logFnWrapper();
emitter.on('log', () => console.log('log persistently'));
// Will return a new Array with a single function bound by `.on()` above
const newListeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
// Logs "log persistently" twice
newListeners[0]();
emitter.emit('log');
```
### `emitter[Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')](err, eventName[, ...args])`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v13.4.0
- v12.16.0
changes:
- version:
- v17.4.0
- v16.14.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/41267
description: No longer experimental.
-->
* `err` Error
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* `...args` {any}
The `Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')` method is called in case a
promise rejection happens when emitting an event and
[`captureRejections`][capturerejections] is enabled on the emitter.
It is possible to use [`events.captureRejectionSymbol`][rejectionsymbol] in
place of `Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')`.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, captureRejectionSymbol } from 'node:events';
class MyClass extends EventEmitter {
constructor() {
super({ captureRejections: true });
}
[captureRejectionSymbol](err, event, ...args) {
console.log('rejection happened for', event, 'with', err, ...args);
this.destroy(err);
}
destroy(err) {
// Tear the resource down here.
}
}
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, captureRejectionSymbol } = require('node:events');
class MyClass extends EventEmitter {
constructor() {
super({ captureRejections: true });
}
[captureRejectionSymbol](err, event, ...args) {
console.log('rejection happened for', event, 'with', err, ...args);
this.destroy(err);
}
destroy(err) {
// Tear the resource down here.
}
}
```
## `events.defaultMaxListeners`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.11.2
-->
By default, a maximum of `10` listeners can be registered for any single
event. This limit can be changed for individual `EventEmitter` instances
using the [`emitter.setMaxListeners(n)`][] method. To change the default
for _all_ `EventEmitter` instances, the `events.defaultMaxListeners`
property can be used. If this value is not a positive number, a `RangeError`
is thrown.
Take caution when setting the `events.defaultMaxListeners` because the
change affects _all_ `EventEmitter` instances, including those created before
the change is made. However, calling [`emitter.setMaxListeners(n)`][] still has
precedence over `events.defaultMaxListeners`.
This is not a hard limit. The `EventEmitter` instance will allow
more listeners to be added but will output a trace warning to stderr indicating
that a "possible EventEmitter memory leak" has been detected. For any single
`EventEmitter`, the `emitter.getMaxListeners()` and `emitter.setMaxListeners()`
methods can be used to temporarily avoid this warning:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
emitter.setMaxListeners(emitter.getMaxListeners() + 1);
emitter.once('event', () => {
// do stuff
emitter.setMaxListeners(Math.max(emitter.getMaxListeners() - 1, 0));
});
```
```cjs
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
emitter.setMaxListeners(emitter.getMaxListeners() + 1);
emitter.once('event', () => {
// do stuff
emitter.setMaxListeners(Math.max(emitter.getMaxListeners() - 1, 0));
});
```
The [`--trace-warnings`][] command-line flag can be used to display the
stack trace for such warnings.
The emitted warning can be inspected with [`process.on('warning')`][] and will
have the additional `emitter`, `type`, and `count` properties, referring to
the event emitter instance, the event's name and the number of attached
listeners, respectively.
Its `name` property is set to `'MaxListenersExceededWarning'`.
## `events.errorMonitor`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v13.6.0
- v12.17.0
-->
This symbol shall be used to install a listener for only monitoring `'error'`
events. Listeners installed using this symbol are called before the regular
`'error'` listeners are called.
Installing a listener using this symbol does not change the behavior once an
`'error'` event is emitted. Therefore, the process will still crash if no
regular `'error'` listener is installed.
## `events.getEventListeners(emitterOrTarget, eventName)`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v15.2.0
- v14.17.0
-->
* `emitterOrTarget` {EventEmitter|EventTarget}
* `eventName` {string|symbol}
* Returns: {Function\[]}
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named `eventName`.
For `EventEmitter`s this behaves exactly the same as calling `.listeners` on
the emitter.
For `EventTarget`s this is the only way to get the event listeners for the
event target. This is useful for debugging and diagnostic purposes.
```mjs
import { getEventListeners, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
{
const ee = new EventEmitter();
const listener = () => console.log('Events are fun');
ee.on('foo', listener);
console.log(getEventListeners(ee, 'foo')); // [ [Function: listener] ]
}
{
const et = new EventTarget();
const listener = () => console.log('Events are fun');
et.addEventListener('foo', listener);
console.log(getEventListeners(et, 'foo')); // [ [Function: listener] ]
}
```
```cjs
const { getEventListeners, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
{
const ee = new EventEmitter();
const listener = () => console.log('Events are fun');
ee.on('foo', listener);
console.log(getEventListeners(ee, 'foo')); // [ [Function: listener] ]
}
{
const et = new EventTarget();
const listener = () => console.log('Events are fun');
et.addEventListener('foo', listener);
console.log(getEventListeners(et, 'foo')); // [ [Function: listener] ]
}
```
## `events.getMaxListeners(emitterOrTarget)`
<!-- YAML
added: v18.17.0
-->
* `emitterOrTarget` {EventEmitter|EventTarget}
* Returns: {number}
Returns the currently set max amount of listeners.
For `EventEmitter`s this behaves exactly the same as calling `.getMaxListeners` on
the emitter.
For `EventTarget`s this is the only way to get the max event listeners for the
event target. If the number of event handlers on a single EventTarget exceeds
the max set, the EventTarget will print a warning.
```mjs
import { getMaxListeners, setMaxListeners, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
{
const ee = new EventEmitter();
console.log(getMaxListeners(ee)); // 10
setMaxListeners(11, ee);
console.log(getMaxListeners(ee)); // 11
}
{
const et = new EventTarget();
console.log(getMaxListeners(et)); // 10
setMaxListeners(11, et);
console.log(getMaxListeners(et)); // 11
}
```
```cjs
const { getMaxListeners, setMaxListeners, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
{
const ee = new EventEmitter();
console.log(getMaxListeners(ee)); // 10
setMaxListeners(11, ee);
console.log(getMaxListeners(ee)); // 11
}
{
const et = new EventTarget();
console.log(getMaxListeners(et)); // 10
setMaxListeners(11, et);
console.log(getMaxListeners(et)); // 11
}
```
## `events.once(emitter, name[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v11.13.0
- v10.16.0
changes:
- version: v15.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/34912
description: The `signal` option is supported now.
-->
* `emitter` {EventEmitter}
* `name` {string}
* `options` {Object}
* `signal` {AbortSignal} Can be used to cancel waiting for the event.
* Returns: {Promise}
Creates a `Promise` that is fulfilled when the `EventEmitter` emits the given
event or that is rejected if the `EventEmitter` emits `'error'` while waiting.
The `Promise` will resolve with an array of all the arguments emitted to the
given event.
This method is intentionally generic and works with the web platform
[EventTarget][WHATWG-EventTarget] interface, which has no special
`'error'` event semantics and does not listen to the `'error'` event.
```mjs
import { once, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
import process from 'node:process';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('myevent', 42);
});
const [value] = await once(ee, 'myevent');
console.log(value);
const err = new Error('kaboom');
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('error', err);
});
try {
await once(ee, 'myevent');
} catch (err) {
console.error('error happened', err);
}
```
```cjs
const { once, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
async function run() {
const ee = new EventEmitter();
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('myevent', 42);
});
const [value] = await once(ee, 'myevent');
console.log(value);
const err = new Error('kaboom');
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('error', err);
});
try {
await once(ee, 'myevent');
} catch (err) {
console.error('error happened', err);
}
}
run();
```
The special handling of the `'error'` event is only used when `events.once()`
is used to wait for another event. If `events.once()` is used to wait for the
'`error'` event itself, then it is treated as any other kind of event without
special handling:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, once } from 'node:events';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
once(ee, 'error')
.then(([err]) => console.log('ok', err.message))
.catch((err) => console.error('error', err.message));
ee.emit('error', new Error('boom'));
// Prints: ok boom
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, once } = require('node:events');
const ee = new EventEmitter();
once(ee, 'error')
.then(([err]) => console.log('ok', err.message))
.catch((err) => console.error('error', err.message));
ee.emit('error', new Error('boom'));
// Prints: ok boom
```
An {AbortSignal} can be used to cancel waiting for the event:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, once } from 'node:events';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
const ac = new AbortController();
async function foo(emitter, event, signal) {
try {
await once(emitter, event, { signal });
console.log('event emitted!');
} catch (error) {
if (error.name === 'AbortError') {
console.error('Waiting for the event was canceled!');
} else {
console.error('There was an error', error.message);
}
}
}
foo(ee, 'foo', ac.signal);
ac.abort(); // Abort waiting for the event
ee.emit('foo'); // Prints: Waiting for the event was canceled!
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, once } = require('node:events');
const ee = new EventEmitter();
const ac = new AbortController();
async function foo(emitter, event, signal) {
try {
await once(emitter, event, { signal });
console.log('event emitted!');
} catch (error) {
if (error.name === 'AbortError') {
console.error('Waiting for the event was canceled!');
} else {
console.error('There was an error', error.message);
}
}
}
foo(ee, 'foo', ac.signal);
ac.abort(); // Abort waiting for the event
ee.emit('foo'); // Prints: Waiting for the event was canceled!
```
### Awaiting multiple events emitted on `process.nextTick()`
There is an edge case worth noting when using the `events.once()` function
to await multiple events emitted on in the same batch of `process.nextTick()`
operations, or whenever multiple events are emitted synchronously. Specifically,
because the `process.nextTick()` queue is drained before the `Promise` microtask
queue, and because `EventEmitter` emits all events synchronously, it is possible
for `events.once()` to miss an event.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, once } from 'node:events';
import process from 'node:process';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
async function foo() {
await once(myEE, 'bar');
console.log('bar');
// This Promise will never resolve because the 'foo' event will
// have already been emitted before the Promise is created.
await once(myEE, 'foo');
console.log('foo');
}
process.nextTick(() => {
myEE.emit('bar');
myEE.emit('foo');
});
foo().then(() => console.log('done'));
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, once } = require('node:events');
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
async function foo() {
await once(myEE, 'bar');
console.log('bar');
// This Promise will never resolve because the 'foo' event will
// have already been emitted before the Promise is created.
await once(myEE, 'foo');
console.log('foo');
}
process.nextTick(() => {
myEE.emit('bar');
myEE.emit('foo');
});
foo().then(() => console.log('done'));
```
To catch both events, create each of the Promises _before_ awaiting either
of them, then it becomes possible to use `Promise.all()`, `Promise.race()`,
or `Promise.allSettled()`:
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, once } from 'node:events';
import process from 'node:process';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
async function foo() {
await Promise.all([once(myEE, 'bar'), once(myEE, 'foo')]);
console.log('foo', 'bar');
}
process.nextTick(() => {
myEE.emit('bar');
myEE.emit('foo');
});
foo().then(() => console.log('done'));
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, once } = require('node:events');
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
async function foo() {
await Promise.all([once(myEE, 'bar'), once(myEE, 'foo')]);
console.log('foo', 'bar');
}
process.nextTick(() => {
myEE.emit('bar');
myEE.emit('foo');
});
foo().then(() => console.log('done'));
```
## `events.captureRejections`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v13.4.0
- v12.16.0
changes:
- version:
- v17.4.0
- v16.14.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/41267
description: No longer experimental.
-->
Value: {boolean}
Change the default `captureRejections` option on all new `EventEmitter` objects.
## `events.captureRejectionSymbol`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v13.4.0
- v12.16.0
changes:
- version:
- v17.4.0
- v16.14.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/41267
description: No longer experimental.
-->
Value: `Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')`
See how to write a custom [rejection handler][rejection].
## `events.listenerCount(emitter, eventName)`
<!-- YAML
added: v0.9.12
deprecated: v3.2.0
-->
> Stability: 0 - Deprecated: Use [`emitter.listenerCount()`][] instead.
* `emitter` {EventEmitter} The emitter to query
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The event name
A class method that returns the number of listeners for the given `eventName`
registered on the given `emitter`.
```mjs
import { EventEmitter, listenerCount } from 'node:events';
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
console.log(listenerCount(myEmitter, 'event'));
// Prints: 2
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitter, listenerCount } = require('node:events');
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
console.log(listenerCount(myEmitter, 'event'));
// Prints: 2
```
## `events.on(emitter, eventName[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v13.6.0
- v12.16.0
-->
* `emitter` {EventEmitter}
* `eventName` {string|symbol} The name of the event being listened for
* `options` {Object}
* `signal` {AbortSignal} Can be used to cancel awaiting events.
* Returns: {AsyncIterator} that iterates `eventName` events emitted by the `emitter`
```mjs
import { on, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
import process from 'node:process';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
// Emit later on
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('foo', 'bar');
ee.emit('foo', 42);
});
for await (const event of on(ee, 'foo')) {
// The execution of this inner block is synchronous and it
// processes one event at a time (even with await). Do not use
// if concurrent execution is required.
console.log(event); // prints ['bar'] [42]
}
// Unreachable here
```
```cjs
const { on, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
(async () => {
const ee = new EventEmitter();
// Emit later on
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('foo', 'bar');
ee.emit('foo', 42);
});
for await (const event of on(ee, 'foo')) {
// The execution of this inner block is synchronous and it
// processes one event at a time (even with await). Do not use
// if concurrent execution is required.
console.log(event); // prints ['bar'] [42]
}
// Unreachable here
})();
```
Returns an `AsyncIterator` that iterates `eventName` events. It will throw
if the `EventEmitter` emits `'error'`. It removes all listeners when
exiting the loop. The `value` returned by each iteration is an array
composed of the emitted event arguments.
An {AbortSignal} can be used to cancel waiting on events:
```mjs
import { on, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
import process from 'node:process';
const ac = new AbortController();
(async () => {
const ee = new EventEmitter();
// Emit later on
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('foo', 'bar');
ee.emit('foo', 42);
});
for await (const event of on(ee, 'foo', { signal: ac.signal })) {
// The execution of this inner block is synchronous and it
// processes one event at a time (even with await). Do not use
// if concurrent execution is required.
console.log(event); // prints ['bar'] [42]
}
// Unreachable here
})();
process.nextTick(() => ac.abort());
```
```cjs
const { on, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
const ac = new AbortController();
(async () => {
const ee = new EventEmitter();
// Emit later on
process.nextTick(() => {
ee.emit('foo', 'bar');
ee.emit('foo', 42);
});
for await (const event of on(ee, 'foo', { signal: ac.signal })) {
// The execution of this inner block is synchronous and it
// processes one event at a time (even with await). Do not use
// if concurrent execution is required.
console.log(event); // prints ['bar'] [42]
}
// Unreachable here
})();
process.nextTick(() => ac.abort());
```
## `events.setMaxListeners(n[, ...eventTargets])`
<!-- YAML
added: v15.4.0
-->
* `n` {number} A non-negative number. The maximum number of listeners per
`EventTarget` event.
* `...eventsTargets` {EventTarget\[]|EventEmitter\[]} Zero or more {EventTarget}
or {EventEmitter} instances. If none are specified, `n` is set as the default
max for all newly created {EventTarget} and {EventEmitter} objects.
```mjs
import { setMaxListeners, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const target = new EventTarget();
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
setMaxListeners(5, target, emitter);
```
```cjs
const {
setMaxListeners,
EventEmitter,
} = require('node:events');
const target = new EventTarget();
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
setMaxListeners(5, target, emitter);
```
## `events.addAbortListener(signal, resource)`
<!-- YAML
added: v18.18.0
-->
> Stability: 1 - Experimental
* `signal` {AbortSignal}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* Returns: {Disposable} that removes the `abort` listener.
Listens once to the `abort` event on the provided `signal`.
Listening to the `abort` event on abort signals is unsafe and may
lead to resource leaks since another third party with the signal can
call [`e.stopImmediatePropagation()`][]. Unfortunately Node.js cannot change
this since it would violate the web standard. Additionally, the original
API makes it easy to forget to remove listeners.
This API allows safely using `AbortSignal`s in Node.js APIs by solving these
two issues by listening to the event such that `stopImmediatePropagation` does
not prevent the listener from running.
Returns a disposable so that it may be unsubscribed from more easily.
```cjs
const { addAbortListener } = require('node:events');
function example(signal) {
let disposable;
try {
signal.addEventListener('abort', (e) => e.stopImmediatePropagation());
disposable = addAbortListener(signal, (e) => {
// Do something when signal is aborted.
});
} finally {
disposable?.[Symbol.dispose]();
}
}
```
```mjs
import { addAbortListener } from 'node:events';
function example(signal) {
let disposable;
try {
signal.addEventListener('abort', (e) => e.stopImmediatePropagation());
disposable = addAbortListener(signal, (e) => {
// Do something when signal is aborted.
});
} finally {
disposable?.[Symbol.dispose]();
}
}
```
## Class: `events.EventEmitterAsyncResource extends EventEmitter`
<!-- YAML
added:
- v17.4.0
- v16.14.0
-->
Integrates `EventEmitter` with {AsyncResource} for `EventEmitter`s that
require manual async tracking. Specifically, all events emitted by instances
of `events.EventEmitterAsyncResource` will run within its [async context][].
```mjs
import { EventEmitterAsyncResource, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
import { notStrictEqual, strictEqual } from 'node:assert';
import { executionAsyncId, triggerAsyncId } from 'node:async_hooks';
// Async tracking tooling will identify this as 'Q'.
const ee1 = new EventEmitterAsyncResource({ name: 'Q' });
// 'foo' listeners will run in the EventEmitters async context.
ee1.on('foo', () => {
strictEqual(executionAsyncId(), ee1.asyncId);
strictEqual(triggerAsyncId(), ee1.triggerAsyncId);
});
const ee2 = new EventEmitter();
// 'foo' listeners on ordinary EventEmitters that do not track async
// context, however, run in the same async context as the emit().
ee2.on('foo', () => {
notStrictEqual(executionAsyncId(), ee2.asyncId);
notStrictEqual(triggerAsyncId(), ee2.triggerAsyncId);
});
Promise.resolve().then(() => {
ee1.emit('foo');
ee2.emit('foo');
});
```
```cjs
const { EventEmitterAsyncResource, EventEmitter } = require('node:events');
const { notStrictEqual, strictEqual } = require('node:assert');
const { executionAsyncId, triggerAsyncId } = require('node:async_hooks');
// Async tracking tooling will identify this as 'Q'.
const ee1 = new EventEmitterAsyncResource({ name: 'Q' });
// 'foo' listeners will run in the EventEmitters async context.
ee1.on('foo', () => {
strictEqual(executionAsyncId(), ee1.asyncId);
strictEqual(triggerAsyncId(), ee1.triggerAsyncId);
});
const ee2 = new EventEmitter();
// 'foo' listeners on ordinary EventEmitters that do not track async
// context, however, run in the same async context as the emit().
ee2.on('foo', () => {
notStrictEqual(executionAsyncId(), ee2.asyncId);
notStrictEqual(triggerAsyncId(), ee2.triggerAsyncId);
});
Promise.resolve().then(() => {
ee1.emit('foo');
ee2.emit('foo');
});
```
The `EventEmitterAsyncResource` class has the same methods and takes the
same options as `EventEmitter` and `AsyncResource` themselves.
### `new events.EventEmitterAsyncResource([options])`
* `options` {Object}
* `captureRejections` {boolean} It enables
[automatic capturing of promise rejection][capturerejections].
**Default:** `false`.
* `name` {string} The type of async event. **Default:** [`new.target.name`][].
* `triggerAsyncId` {number} The ID of the execution context that created this
async event. **Default:** `executionAsyncId()`.
* `requireManualDestroy` {boolean} If set to `true`, disables `emitDestroy`
when the object is garbage collected. This usually does not need to be set
(even if `emitDestroy` is called manually), unless the resource's `asyncId`
is retrieved and the sensitive API's `emitDestroy` is called with it.
When set to `false`, the `emitDestroy` call on garbage collection
will only take place if there is at least one active `destroy` hook.
**Default:** `false`.
### `eventemitterasyncresource.asyncId`
* Type: {number} The unique `asyncId` assigned to the resource.
### `eventemitterasyncresource.asyncResource`
* Type: The underlying {AsyncResource}.
The returned `AsyncResource` object has an additional `eventEmitter` property
that provides a reference to this `EventEmitterAsyncResource`.
### `eventemitterasyncresource.emitDestroy()`
Call all `destroy` hooks. This should only ever be called once. An error will
be thrown if it is called more than once. This **must** be manually called. If
the resource is left to be collected by the GC then the `destroy` hooks will
never be called.
### `eventemitterasyncresource.triggerAsyncId`
* Type: {number} The same `triggerAsyncId` that is passed to the
`AsyncResource` constructor.
<a id="event-target-and-event-api"></a>
## `EventTarget` and `Event` API
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
changes:
- version: v16.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/37237
description: changed EventTarget error handling.
- version: v15.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/35949
description: No longer experimental.
- version: v15.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/35496
description:
The `EventTarget` and `Event` classes are now available as globals.
-->
The `EventTarget` and `Event` objects are a Node.js-specific implementation
of the [`EventTarget` Web API][] that are exposed by some Node.js core APIs.
```js
const target = new EventTarget();
target.addEventListener('foo', (event) => {
console.log('foo event happened!');
});
```
### Node.js `EventTarget` vs. DOM `EventTarget`
There are two key differences between the Node.js `EventTarget` and the
[`EventTarget` Web API][]:
1. Whereas DOM `EventTarget` instances _may_ be hierarchical, there is no
concept of hierarchy and event propagation in Node.js. That is, an event
dispatched to an `EventTarget` does not propagate through a hierarchy of
nested target objects that may each have their own set of handlers for the
event.
2. In the Node.js `EventTarget`, if an event listener is an async function
or returns a `Promise`, and the returned `Promise` rejects, the rejection
is automatically captured and handled the same way as a listener that
throws synchronously (see [`EventTarget` error handling][] for details).
### `NodeEventTarget` vs. `EventEmitter`
The `NodeEventTarget` object implements a modified subset of the
`EventEmitter` API that allows it to closely _emulate_ an `EventEmitter` in
certain situations. A `NodeEventTarget` is _not_ an instance of `EventEmitter`
and cannot be used in place of an `EventEmitter` in most cases.
1. Unlike `EventEmitter`, any given `listener` can be registered at most once
per event `type`. Attempts to register a `listener` multiple times are
ignored.
2. The `NodeEventTarget` does not emulate the full `EventEmitter` API.
Specifically the `prependListener()`, `prependOnceListener()`,
`rawListeners()`, and `errorMonitor` APIs are not emulated.
The `'newListener'` and `'removeListener'` events will also not be emitted.
3. The `NodeEventTarget` does not implement any special default behavior
for events with type `'error'`.
4. The `NodeEventTarget` supports `EventListener` objects as well as
functions as handlers for all event types.
### Event listener
Event listeners registered for an event `type` may either be JavaScript
functions or objects with a `handleEvent` property whose value is a function.
In either case, the handler function is invoked with the `event` argument
passed to the `eventTarget.dispatchEvent()` function.
Async functions may be used as event listeners. If an async handler function
rejects, the rejection is captured and handled as described in
[`EventTarget` error handling][].
An error thrown by one handler function does not prevent the other handlers
from being invoked.
The return value of a handler function is ignored.
Handlers are always invoked in the order they were added.
Handler functions may mutate the `event` object.
```js
function handler1(event) {
console.log(event.type); // Prints 'foo'
event.a = 1;
}
async function handler2(event) {
console.log(event.type); // Prints 'foo'
console.log(event.a); // Prints 1
}
const handler3 = {
handleEvent(event) {
console.log(event.type); // Prints 'foo'
},
};
const handler4 = {
async handleEvent(event) {
console.log(event.type); // Prints 'foo'
},
};
const target = new EventTarget();
target.addEventListener('foo', handler1);
target.addEventListener('foo', handler2);
target.addEventListener('foo', handler3);
target.addEventListener('foo', handler4, { once: true });
```
### `EventTarget` error handling
When a registered event listener throws (or returns a Promise that rejects),
by default the error is treated as an uncaught exception on
`process.nextTick()`. This means uncaught exceptions in `EventTarget`s will
terminate the Node.js process by default.
Throwing within an event listener will _not_ stop the other registered handlers
from being invoked.
The `EventTarget` does not implement any special default handling for `'error'`
type events like `EventEmitter`.
Currently errors are first forwarded to the `process.on('error')` event
before reaching `process.on('uncaughtException')`. This behavior is
deprecated and will change in a future release to align `EventTarget` with
other Node.js APIs. Any code relying on the `process.on('error')` event should
be aligned with the new behavior.
### Class: `Event`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
changes:
- version: v15.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/35496
description: The `Event` class is now available through the global object.
-->
The `Event` object is an adaptation of the [`Event` Web API][]. Instances
are created internally by Node.js.
#### `event.bubbles`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {boolean} Always returns `false`.
This is not used in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.cancelBubble`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
> Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use [`event.stopPropagation()`][] instead.
* Type: {boolean}
Alias for `event.stopPropagation()` if set to `true`. This is not used
in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.cancelable`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {boolean} True if the event was created with the `cancelable` option.
#### `event.composed`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {boolean} Always returns `false`.
This is not used in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.composedPath()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
Returns an array containing the current `EventTarget` as the only entry or
empty if the event is not being dispatched. This is not used in
Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.currentTarget`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {EventTarget} The `EventTarget` dispatching the event.
Alias for `event.target`.
#### `event.defaultPrevented`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {boolean}
Is `true` if `cancelable` is `true` and `event.preventDefault()` has been
called.
#### `event.eventPhase`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {number} Returns `0` while an event is not being dispatched, `2` while
it is being dispatched.
This is not used in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.isTrusted`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {boolean}
The {AbortSignal} `"abort"` event is emitted with `isTrusted` set to `true`. The
value is `false` in all other cases.
#### `event.preventDefault()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
Sets the `defaultPrevented` property to `true` if `cancelable` is `true`.
#### `event.returnValue`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
> Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use [`event.defaultPrevented`][] instead.
* Type: {boolean} True if the event has not been canceled.
The value of `event.returnValue` is always the opposite of `event.defaultPrevented`.
This is not used in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.srcElement`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
> Stability: 3 - Legacy: Use [`event.target`][] instead.
* Type: {EventTarget} The `EventTarget` dispatching the event.
Alias for `event.target`.
#### `event.stopImmediatePropagation()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
Stops the invocation of event listeners after the current one completes.
#### `event.stopPropagation()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
This is not used in Node.js and is provided purely for completeness.
#### `event.target`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {EventTarget} The `EventTarget` dispatching the event.
#### `event.timeStamp`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {number}
The millisecond timestamp when the `Event` object was created.
#### `event.type`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Type: {string}
The event type identifier.
### Class: `EventTarget`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
changes:
- version: v15.0.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/35496
description:
The `EventTarget` class is now available through the global object.
-->
#### `eventTarget.addEventListener(type, listener[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
changes:
- version: v15.4.0
pr-url: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/36258
description: add support for `signal` option.
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* `options` {Object}
* `once` {boolean} When `true`, the listener is automatically removed
when it is first invoked. **Default:** `false`.
* `passive` {boolean} When `true`, serves as a hint that the listener will
not call the `Event` object's `preventDefault()` method.
**Default:** `false`.
* `capture` {boolean} Not directly used by Node.js. Added for API
completeness. **Default:** `false`.
* `signal` {AbortSignal} The listener will be removed when the given
AbortSignal object's `abort()` method is called.
Adds a new handler for the `type` event. Any given `listener` is added
only once per `type` and per `capture` option value.
If the `once` option is `true`, the `listener` is removed after the
next time a `type` event is dispatched.
The `capture` option is not used by Node.js in any functional way other than
tracking registered event listeners per the `EventTarget` specification.
Specifically, the `capture` option is used as part of the key when registering
a `listener`. Any individual `listener` may be added once with
`capture = false`, and once with `capture = true`.
```js
function handler(event) {}
const target = new EventTarget();
target.addEventListener('foo', handler, { capture: true }); // first
target.addEventListener('foo', handler, { capture: false }); // second
// Removes the second instance of handler
target.removeEventListener('foo', handler);
// Removes the first instance of handler
target.removeEventListener('foo', handler, { capture: true });
```
#### `eventTarget.dispatchEvent(event)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `event` {Event}
* Returns: {boolean} `true` if either event's `cancelable` attribute value is
false or its `preventDefault()` method was not invoked, otherwise `false`.
Dispatches the `event` to the list of handlers for `event.type`.
The registered event listeners is synchronously invoked in the order they
were registered.
#### `eventTarget.removeEventListener(type, listener[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* `options` {Object}
* `capture` {boolean}
Removes the `listener` from the list of handlers for event `type`.
### Class: `CustomEvent`
<!-- YAML
added: v18.7.0
-->
> Stability: 1 - Experimental.
* Extends: {Event}
The `CustomEvent` object is an adaptation of the [`CustomEvent` Web API][].
Instances are created internally by Node.js.
#### `event.detail`
<!-- YAML
added: v18.7.0
-->
> Stability: 1 - Experimental.
* Type: {any} Returns custom data passed when initializing.
Read-only.
### Class: `NodeEventTarget`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Extends: {EventTarget}
The `NodeEventTarget` is a Node.js-specific extension to `EventTarget`
that emulates a subset of the `EventEmitter` API.
#### `nodeEventTarget.addListener(type, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that emulates the
equivalent `EventEmitter` API. The only difference between `addListener()` and
`addEventListener()` is that `addListener()` will return a reference to the
`EventTarget`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.emit(type, arg)`
<!-- YAML
added: v15.2.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `arg` {any}
* Returns: {boolean} `true` if event listeners registered for the `type` exist,
otherwise `false`.
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that dispatches the
`arg` to the list of handlers for `type`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.eventNames()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Returns: {string\[]}
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that returns an array
of event `type` names for which event listeners are registered.
#### `nodeEventTarget.listenerCount(type)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* Returns: {number}
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that returns the number
of event listeners registered for the `type`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.setMaxListeners(n)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `n` {number}
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that sets the number
of max event listeners as `n`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.getMaxListeners()`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* Returns: {number}
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that returns the number
of max event listeners.
#### `nodeEventTarget.off(type, listener[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* `options` {Object}
* `capture` {boolean}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific alias for `eventTarget.removeEventListener()`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.on(type, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific alias for `eventTarget.addEventListener()`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.once(type, listener)`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that adds a `once`
listener for the given event `type`. This is equivalent to calling `on`
with the `once` option set to `true`.
#### `nodeEventTarget.removeAllListeners([type])`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class. If `type` is specified,
removes all registered listeners for `type`, otherwise removes all registered
listeners.
#### `nodeEventTarget.removeListener(type, listener[, options])`
<!-- YAML
added: v14.5.0
-->
* `type` {string}
* `listener` {Function|EventListener}
* `options` {Object}
* `capture` {boolean}
* Returns: {EventTarget} this
Node.js-specific extension to the `EventTarget` class that removes the
`listener` for the given `type`. The only difference between `removeListener()`
and `removeEventListener()` is that `removeListener()` will return a reference
to the `EventTarget`.
[WHATWG-EventTarget]: https://dom.spec.whatwg.org/#interface-eventtarget
[`--trace-warnings`]: cli.md#--trace-warnings
[`CustomEvent` Web API]: https://dom.spec.whatwg.org/#customevent
[`EventTarget` Web API]: https://dom.spec.whatwg.org/#eventtarget
[`EventTarget` error handling]: #eventtarget-error-handling
[`Event` Web API]: https://dom.spec.whatwg.org/#event
[`domain`]: domain.md
[`e.stopImmediatePropagation()`]: #eventstopimmediatepropagation
[`emitter.listenerCount()`]: #emitterlistenercounteventname-listener
[`emitter.removeListener()`]: #emitterremovelistenereventname-listener
[`emitter.setMaxListeners(n)`]: #emittersetmaxlistenersn
[`event.defaultPrevented`]: #eventdefaultprevented
[`event.stopPropagation()`]: #eventstoppropagation
[`event.target`]: #eventtarget
[`events.defaultMaxListeners`]: #eventsdefaultmaxlisteners
[`fs.ReadStream`]: fs.md#class-fsreadstream
[`net.Server`]: net.md#class-netserver
[`new.target.name`]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/new.target
[`process.on('warning')`]: process.md#event-warning
[async context]: async_context.md
[capturerejections]: #capture-rejections-of-promises
[error]: #error-events
[rejection]: #emittersymbolfornodejsrejectionerr-eventname-args
[rejectionsymbol]: #eventscapturerejectionsymbol
[stream]: stream.md
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