The EventEmitter class is defined and exposed by the node:events module:

import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';

All EventEmitters emit the event 'newListener' when new listeners are added and 'removeListener' when existing listeners are removed.

It supports the following option:

v0.1.26

Hierarchy (view full)

Implements

Constructors

Properties

closed: boolean

Is true after 'close' has been emitted.

v18.0.0

destroyed: boolean

Is true after readable.destroy() has been called.

v8.0.0

errored: null | Error

Returns error if the stream has been destroyed with an error.

v18.0.0

readable: boolean

Is true if it is safe to call read, which means the stream has not been destroyed or emitted 'error' or 'end'.

v11.4.0

readableAborted: boolean

Returns whether the stream was destroyed or errored before emitting 'end'.

v16.8.0

readableDidRead: boolean

Returns whether 'data' has been emitted.

v16.7.0, v14.18.0

readableEncoding: null | BufferEncoding

Getter for the property encoding of a given Readable stream. The encoding property can be set using the setEncoding method.

v12.7.0

readableEnded: boolean

Becomes true when 'end' event is emitted.

v12.9.0

readableFlowing: null | boolean

This property reflects the current state of a Readable stream as described in the Three states section.

v9.4.0

readableHighWaterMark: number

Returns the value of highWaterMark passed when creating this Readable.

v9.3.0

readableLength: number

This property contains the number of bytes (or objects) in the queue ready to be read. The value provides introspection data regarding the status of the highWaterMark.

v9.4.0

readableObjectMode: boolean

Getter for the property objectMode of a given Readable stream.

v12.3.0

captureRejections: boolean

Value: boolean

Change the default captureRejections option on all new EventEmitter objects.

v13.4.0, v12.16.0

captureRejectionSymbol: typeof captureRejectionSymbol

Value: Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection')

See how to write a custom rejection handler.

v13.4.0, v12.16.0

defaultMaxListeners: number

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 allEventEmitter 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:

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));
});

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'.

v0.11.2

errorMonitor: typeof errorMonitor

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.

v13.6.0, v12.17.0

Methods

  • Parameters

    • callback: ((error?: null | Error) => void)
        • (error?): void
        • Parameters

          • Optionalerror: null | Error

          Returns void

    Returns void

  • Parameters

    • error: null | Error
    • callback: ((error?: null | Error) => void)
        • (error?): void
        • Parameters

          • Optionalerror: null | Error

          Returns void

    Returns void

  • Parameters

    • size: number

    Returns void

  • Calls readable.destroy() with an AbortError and returns a promise that fulfills when the stream is finished.

    Returns Promise<void>

    v20.4.0

  • Returns AsyncIterator<any, any, any>

  • Event emitter The defined events on documents including:

    1. close
    2. data
    3. end
    4. error
    5. pause
    6. readable
    7. resume

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • This method returns a new stream with chunks of the underlying stream paired with a counter in the form [index, chunk]. The first index value is 0 and it increases by 1 for each chunk produced.

    Parameters

    Returns Readable

    a stream of indexed pairs.

    v17.5.0

  • Type Parameters

    Parameters

    • stream:
          | ComposeFnParam
          | T
          | Iterable<T, any, any>
          | AsyncIterable<T, any, any>
    • Optionaloptions: {
          signal: AbortSignal;
      }
      • signal: AbortSignal

    Returns T

  • Destroy the stream. Optionally emit an 'error' event, and emit a 'close' event (unless emitClose is set to false). After this call, the readable stream will release any internal resources and subsequent calls to push() will be ignored.

    Once destroy() has been called any further calls will be a no-op and no further errors except from _destroy() may be emitted as 'error'.

    Implementors should not override this method, but instead implement readable._destroy().

    Parameters

    • Optionalerror: Error

      Error which will be passed as payload in 'error' event

    Returns this

    v8.0.0

  • This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks dropped from the start.

    Parameters

    • limit: number

      the number of chunks to drop from the readable.

    • Optionaloptions: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">

    Returns Readable

    a stream with limit chunks dropped from the start.

    v17.5.0

  • 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.

    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

    Parameters

    • event: "close"

    Returns boolean

    v0.1.26

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • chunk: any

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • err: Error

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"

    Returns boolean

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • Rest...args: any[]

    Returns boolean

  • Returns an array listing the events for which the emitter has registered listeners. The values in the array are strings or Symbols.

    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) ]

    Returns (string | symbol)[]

    v6.0.0

  • This method is similar to Array.prototype.every and calls fn on each chunk in the stream to check if all awaited return values are truthy value for fn. Once an fn call on a chunk awaited return value is falsy, the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with false. If all of the fn calls on the chunks return a truthy value, the promise is fulfilled with true.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => boolean | Promise<boolean>)

      a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): boolean | Promise<boolean>
        • Parameters

          Returns boolean | Promise<boolean>

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Promise<boolean>

    a promise evaluating to true if fn returned a truthy value for every one of the chunks.

    v17.5.0

  • This method allows filtering the stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called and if it returns a truthy value, the chunk will be passed to the result stream. If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => boolean | Promise<boolean>)

      a function to filter chunks from the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): boolean | Promise<boolean>
        • Parameters

          Returns boolean | Promise<boolean>

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Readable

    a stream filtered with the predicate fn.

    v17.4.0, v16.14.0

  • This method is similar to Array.prototype.find and calls fn on each chunk in the stream to find a chunk with a truthy value for fn. Once an fn call's awaited return value is truthy, the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with value for which fn returned a truthy value. If all of the fn calls on the chunks return a falsy value, the promise is fulfilled with undefined.

    Type Parameters

    • T

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => data is T)

      a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): data is T
        • Parameters

          Returns data is T

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Promise<undefined | T>

    a promise evaluating to the first chunk for which fn evaluated with a truthy value, or undefined if no element was found.

    v17.5.0

  • Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => boolean | Promise<boolean>)
        • (data, options?): boolean | Promise<boolean>
        • Parameters

          Returns boolean | Promise<boolean>

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Promise<any>

  • This method returns a new stream by applying the given callback to each chunk of the stream and then flattening the result.

    It is possible to return a stream or another iterable or async iterable from fn and the result streams will be merged (flattened) into the returned stream.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => any)

      a function to map over every chunk in the stream. May be async. May be a stream or generator.

        • (data, options?): any
        • Parameters

          Returns any

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Readable

    a stream flat-mapped with the function fn.

    v17.5.0

  • This method allows iterating a stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called. If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited.

    This method is different from for await...of loops in that it can optionally process chunks concurrently. In addition, a forEach iteration can only be stopped by having passed a signal option and aborting the related AbortController while for await...of can be stopped with break or return. In either case the stream will be destroyed.

    This method is different from listening to the 'data' event in that it uses the readable event in the underlying machinary and can limit the number of concurrent fn calls.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => void | Promise<void>)

      a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): void | Promise<void>
        • Parameters

          Returns void | Promise<void>

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Promise<void>

    a promise for when the stream has finished.

    v17.5.0

  • The readable.isPaused() method returns the current operating state of the Readable. This is used primarily by the mechanism that underlies the readable.pipe() method. In most typical cases, there will be no reason to use this method directly.

    const readable = new stream.Readable();

    readable.isPaused(); // === false
    readable.pause();
    readable.isPaused(); // === true
    readable.resume();
    readable.isPaused(); // === false

    Returns boolean

    v0.11.14

  • The iterator created by this method gives users the option to cancel the destruction of the stream if the for await...of loop is exited by return, break, or throw, or if the iterator should destroy the stream if the stream emitted an error during iteration.

    Parameters

    • Optionaloptions: {
          destroyOnReturn?: boolean;
      }
      • OptionaldestroyOnReturn?: boolean

        When set to false, calling return on the async iterator, or exiting a for await...of iteration using a break, return, or throw will not destroy the stream. Default: true.

    Returns AsyncIterator<any, any, any>

    v16.3.0

  • 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.

    Type Parameters

    • K

    Parameters

    • eventName: string | symbol

      The name of the event being listened for

    • Optionallistener: Function

      The event handler function

    Returns number

    v3.2.0

  • Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named eventName.

    server.on('connection', (stream) => {
    console.log('someone connected!');
    });
    console.log(util.inspect(server.listeners('connection')));
    // Prints: [ [Function] ]

    Type Parameters

    • K

    Parameters

    • eventName: string | symbol

    Returns Function[]

    v0.1.26

  • This method allows mapping over the stream. The fn function will be called for every chunk in the stream. If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited before being passed to the result stream.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => any)

      a function to map over every chunk in the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): any
        • Parameters

          Returns any

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Readable

    a stream mapped with the function fn.

    v17.4.0, v16.14.0

  • Alias for emitter.removeListener().

    Type Parameters

    • K

    Parameters

    • eventName: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

    v10.0.0

  • 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.

    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.

    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

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)

      The callback function

        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

    v0.1.101

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Adds a one-time listener function for the event named eventName. The next time eventName is triggered, this listener is removed and then invoked.

    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.

    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

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)

      The callback function

        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

    v0.3.0

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • The readable.pause() method will cause a stream in flowing mode to stop emitting 'data' events, switching out of flowing mode. Any data that becomes available will remain in the internal buffer.

    const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
    readable.on('data', (chunk) => {
    console.log(`Received ${chunk.length} bytes of data.`);
    readable.pause();
    console.log('There will be no additional data for 1 second.');
    setTimeout(() => {
    console.log('Now data will start flowing again.');
    readable.resume();
    }, 1000);
    });

    The readable.pause() method has no effect if there is a 'readable' event listener.

    Returns this

    v0.9.4

  • Type Parameters

    Parameters

    • destination: T
    • Optionaloptions: {
          end?: boolean;
      }
      • Optionalend?: boolean

    Returns T

  • 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.

    server.prependListener('connection', (stream) => {
    console.log('someone connected!');
    });

    Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)

      The callback function

        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

    v6.0.0

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Adds a one-timelistener 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.

    server.prependOnceListener('connection', (stream) => {
    console.log('Ah, we have our first user!');
    });

    Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)

      The callback function

        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

    v6.0.0

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    Returns boolean

  • Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named eventName, including any wrappers (such as those created by .once()).

    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');

    Type Parameters

    • K

    Parameters

    • eventName: string | symbol

    Returns Function[]

    v9.4.0

  • The readable.read() method reads data out of the internal buffer and returns it. If no data is available to be read, null is returned. By default, the data is returned as a Buffer object unless an encoding has been specified using the readable.setEncoding() method or the stream is operating in object mode.

    The optional size argument specifies a specific number of bytes to read. If size bytes are not available to be read, null will be returned unless the stream has ended, in which case all of the data remaining in the internal buffer will be returned.

    If the size argument is not specified, all of the data contained in the internal buffer will be returned.

    The size argument must be less than or equal to 1 GiB.

    The readable.read() method should only be called on Readable streams operating in paused mode. In flowing mode, readable.read() is called automatically until the internal buffer is fully drained.

    const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();

    // 'readable' may be triggered multiple times as data is buffered in
    readable.on('readable', () => {
    let chunk;
    console.log('Stream is readable (new data received in buffer)');
    // Use a loop to make sure we read all currently available data
    while (null !== (chunk = readable.read())) {
    console.log(`Read ${chunk.length} bytes of data...`);
    }
    });

    // 'end' will be triggered once when there is no more data available
    readable.on('end', () => {
    console.log('Reached end of stream.');
    });

    Each call to readable.read() returns a chunk of data, or null. The chunks are not concatenated. A while loop is necessary to consume all data currently in the buffer. When reading a large file .read() may return null, having consumed all buffered content so far, but there is still more data to come not yet buffered. In this case a new 'readable' event will be emitted when there is more data in the buffer. Finally the 'end' event will be emitted when there is no more data to come.

    Therefore to read a file's whole contents from a readable, it is necessary to collect chunks across multiple 'readable' events:

    const chunks = [];

    readable.on('readable', () => {
    let chunk;
    while (null !== (chunk = readable.read())) {
    chunks.push(chunk);
    }
    });

    readable.on('end', () => {
    const content = chunks.join('');
    });

    A Readable stream in object mode will always return a single item from a call to readable.read(size), regardless of the value of the size argument.

    If the readable.read() method returns a chunk of data, a 'data' event will also be emitted.

    Calling read after the 'end' event has been emitted will return null. No runtime error will be raised.

    Parameters

    • Optionalsize: number

      Optional argument to specify how much data to read.

    Returns any

    v0.9.4

  • This method calls fn on each chunk of the stream in order, passing it the result from the calculation on the previous element. It returns a promise for the final value of the reduction.

    If no initial value is supplied the first chunk of the stream is used as the initial value. If the stream is empty, the promise is rejected with a TypeError with the ERR_INVALID_ARGS code property.

    The reducer function iterates the stream element-by-element which means that there is no concurrency parameter or parallelism. To perform a reduce concurrently, you can extract the async function to readable.map method.

    Type Parameters

    • T = any

    Parameters

    • fn: ((previous: any, data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => T)

      a reducer function to call over every chunk in the stream. Async or not.

        • (previous, data, options?): T
        • Parameters

          Returns T

    • Optionalinitial: undefined

      the initial value to use in the reduction.

    • Optionaloptions: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">

    Returns Promise<T>

    a promise for the final value of the reduction.

    v17.5.0

  • Type Parameters

    • T = any

    Parameters

    Returns Promise<T>

  • 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.

    Parameters

    • OptionaleventName: string | symbol

    Returns this

    v0.1.26

  • Removes the specified listener from the listener array for the event named eventName.

    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 fromemit() in progress. Subsequent events behave as expected.

    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

    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:

    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');

    Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.

    Parameters

    • event: "close"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

    v0.1.26

  • Parameters

    • event: "data"
    • listener: ((chunk: any) => void)
        • (chunk): void
        • Parameters

          • chunk: any

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "end"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "error"
    • listener: ((err: Error) => void)
        • (err): void
        • Parameters

          • err: Error

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "pause"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "readable"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: "resume"
    • listener: (() => void)
        • (): void
        • Returns void

    Returns this

  • Parameters

    • event: string | symbol
    • listener: ((...args: any[]) => void)
        • (...args): void
        • Parameters

          • Rest...args: any[]

          Returns void

    Returns this

  • The readable.resume() method causes an explicitly paused Readable stream to resume emitting 'data' events, switching the stream into flowing mode.

    The readable.resume() method can be used to fully consume the data from a stream without actually processing any of that data:

    getReadableStreamSomehow()
    .resume()
    .on('end', () => {
    console.log('Reached the end, but did not read anything.');
    });

    The readable.resume() method has no effect if there is a 'readable' event listener.

    Returns this

    v0.9.4

  • The readable.setEncoding() method sets the character encoding for data read from the Readable stream.

    By default, no encoding is assigned and stream data will be returned as Buffer objects. Setting an encoding causes the stream data to be returned as strings of the specified encoding rather than as Buffer objects. For instance, calling readable.setEncoding('utf8') will cause the output data to be interpreted as UTF-8 data, and passed as strings. Calling readable.setEncoding('hex') will cause the data to be encoded in hexadecimal string format.

    The Readable stream will properly handle multi-byte characters delivered through the stream that would otherwise become improperly decoded if simply pulled from the stream as Buffer objects.

    const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
    readable.setEncoding('utf8');
    readable.on('data', (chunk) => {
    assert.equal(typeof chunk, 'string');
    console.log('Got %d characters of string data:', chunk.length);
    });

    Parameters

    Returns this

    v0.9.4

  • By default EventEmitters 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.

    Parameters

    • n: number

    Returns this

    v0.3.5

  • This method is similar to Array.prototype.some and calls fn on each chunk in the stream until the awaited return value is true (or any truthy value). Once an fn call on a chunk awaited return value is truthy, the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with true. If none of the fn calls on the chunks return a truthy value, the promise is fulfilled with false.

    Parameters

    • fn: ((data: any, options?: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">) => boolean | Promise<boolean>)

      a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.

        • (data, options?): boolean | Promise<boolean>
        • Parameters

          Returns boolean | Promise<boolean>

    • Optionaloptions: ArrayOptions

    Returns Promise<boolean>

    a promise evaluating to true if fn returned a truthy value for at least one of the chunks.

    v17.5.0

  • This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks.

    Parameters

    • limit: number

      the number of chunks to take from the readable.

    • Optionaloptions: Pick<ArrayOptions, "signal">

    Returns Readable

    a stream with limit chunks taken.

    v17.5.0

  • This method allows easily obtaining the contents of a stream.

    As this method reads the entire stream into memory, it negates the benefits of streams. It's intended for interoperability and convenience, not as the primary way to consume streams.

    Parameters

    Returns Promise<any[]>

    a promise containing an array with the contents of the stream.

    v17.5.0

  • The readable.unpipe() method detaches a Writable stream previously attached using the pipe method.

    If the destination is not specified, then all pipes are detached.

    If the destination is specified, but no pipe is set up for it, then the method does nothing.

    import fs from 'node:fs';
    const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
    const writable = fs.createWriteStream('file.txt');
    // All the data from readable goes into 'file.txt',
    // but only for the first second.
    readable.pipe(writable);
    setTimeout(() => {
    console.log('Stop writing to file.txt.');
    readable.unpipe(writable);
    console.log('Manually close the file stream.');
    writable.end();
    }, 1000);

    Parameters

    • Optionaldestination: WritableStream

      Optional specific stream to unpipe

    Returns this

    v0.9.4

  • Passing chunk as null signals the end of the stream (EOF) and behaves the same as readable.push(null), after which no more data can be written. The EOF signal is put at the end of the buffer and any buffered data will still be flushed.

    The readable.unshift() method pushes a chunk of data back into the internal buffer. This is useful in certain situations where a stream is being consumed by code that needs to "un-consume" some amount of data that it has optimistically pulled out of the source, so that the data can be passed on to some other party.

    The stream.unshift(chunk) method cannot be called after the 'end' event has been emitted or a runtime error will be thrown.

    Developers using stream.unshift() often should consider switching to use of a Transform stream instead. See the API for stream implementers section for more information.

    // Pull off a header delimited by \n\n.
    // Use unshift() if we get too much.
    // Call the callback with (error, header, stream).
    import { StringDecoder } from 'node:string_decoder';
    function parseHeader(stream, callback) {
    stream.on('error', callback);
    stream.on('readable', onReadable);
    const decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8');
    let header = '';
    function onReadable() {
    let chunk;
    while (null !== (chunk = stream.read())) {
    const str = decoder.write(chunk);
    if (str.includes('\n\n')) {
    // Found the header boundary.
    const split = str.split(/\n\n/);
    header += split.shift();
    const remaining = split.join('\n\n');
    const buf = Buffer.from(remaining, 'utf8');
    stream.removeListener('error', callback);
    // Remove the 'readable' listener before unshifting.
    stream.removeListener('readable', onReadable);
    if (buf.length)
    stream.unshift(buf);
    // Now the body of the message can be read from the stream.
    callback(null, header, stream);
    return;
    }
    // Still reading the header.
    header += str;
    }
    }
    }

    Unlike push, stream.unshift(chunk) will not end the reading process by resetting the internal reading state of the stream. This can cause unexpected results if readable.unshift() is called during a read (i.e. from within a _read implementation on a custom stream). Following the call to readable.unshift() with an immediate push will reset the reading state appropriately, however it is best to simply avoid calling readable.unshift() while in the process of performing a read.

    Parameters

    • chunk: any

      Chunk of data to unshift onto the read queue. For streams not operating in object mode, chunk must be a {string}, {Buffer}, {TypedArray}, {DataView} or null. For object mode streams, chunk may be any JavaScript value.

    • Optionalencoding: BufferEncoding

      Encoding of string chunks. Must be a valid Buffer encoding, such as 'utf8' or 'ascii'.

    Returns void

    v0.9.11

  • Prior to Node.js 0.10, streams did not implement the entire node:stream module API as it is currently defined. (See Compatibility for more information.)

    When using an older Node.js library that emits 'data' events and has a pause method that is advisory only, the readable.wrap() method can be used to create a Readable stream that uses the old stream as its data source.

    It will rarely be necessary to use readable.wrap() but the method has been provided as a convenience for interacting with older Node.js applications and libraries.

    import { OldReader } from './old-api-module.js';
    import { Readable } from 'node:stream';
    const oreader = new OldReader();
    const myReader = new Readable().wrap(oreader);

    myReader.on('readable', () => {
    myReader.read(); // etc.
    });

    Parameters

    Returns this

    v0.9.4

  • Experimental

    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 AbortSignals 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.

    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]();
    }
    }

    Parameters

    • signal: AbortSignal
    • resource: ((event: Event) => void)
        • (event): void
        • Parameters

          • event: Event

          Returns void

    Returns Disposable

    Disposable that removes the abort listener.

    v20.5.0

  • A utility method for creating Readable Streams out of iterators.

    Parameters

    • iterable: Iterable<any, any, any> | AsyncIterable<any, any, any>

      Object implementing the Symbol.asyncIterator or Symbol.iterator iterable protocol. Emits an 'error' event if a null value is passed.

    • Optionaloptions: ReadableOptions

      Options provided to new stream.Readable([options]). By default, Readable.from() will set options.objectMode to true, unless this is explicitly opted out by setting options.objectMode to false.

    Returns Readable

    v12.3.0, v10.17.0

  • Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named eventName.

    For EventEmitters this behaves exactly the same as calling .listeners on the emitter.

    For EventTargets this is the only way to get the event listeners for the event target. This is useful for debugging and diagnostic purposes.

    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] ]
    }

    Parameters

    Returns Function[]

    v15.2.0, v14.17.0

  • Returns the currently set max amount of listeners.

    For EventEmitters this behaves exactly the same as calling .getMaxListeners on the emitter.

    For EventTargets 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.

    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
    }

    Parameters

    Returns number

    v19.9.0

  • Returns whether the stream has been read from or cancelled.

    Parameters

    Returns boolean

    v16.8.0

  • A class method that returns the number of listeners for the given eventName registered on the given emitter.

    import { EventEmitter, listenerCount } from 'node:events';

    const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
    myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
    myEmitter.on('event', () => {});
    console.log(listenerCount(myEmitter, 'event'));
    // Prints: 2

    Parameters

    Returns number

    v0.9.12

    Since v3.2.0 - Use listenerCount instead.

  • 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

    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:

    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());

    Use the close option to specify an array of event names that will end the iteration:

    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);
    ee.emit('close');
    });

    for await (const event of on(ee, 'foo', { close: ['close'] })) {
    console.log(event); // prints ['bar'] [42]
    }
    // the loop will exit after 'close' is emitted
    console.log('done'); // prints 'done'

    Parameters

    Returns AsyncIterator<any[], any, any>

    An AsyncIterator that iterates eventName events emitted by the emitter

    v13.6.0, v12.16.0

  • Parameters

    Returns AsyncIterator<any[], any, any>

  • 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 interface, which has no special'error' event semantics and does not listen to the 'error' event.

    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);
    }

    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:

    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

    An AbortSignal can be used to cancel waiting for the event:

    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!

    Parameters

    Returns Promise<any[]>

    v11.13.0, v10.16.0

  • Parameters

    Returns Promise<any[]>

  • import { setMaxListeners, EventEmitter } from 'node:events';

    const target = new EventTarget();
    const emitter = new EventEmitter();

    setMaxListeners(5, target, emitter);

    Parameters

    • Optionaln: number

      A non-negative number. The maximum number of listeners per EventTarget event.

    • Rest...eventTargets: (EventTarget | EventEmitter<DefaultEventMap>)[]

      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.

    Returns void

    v15.4.0