Implementing Graceful Shutdown in Go servers.
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
Graceful shutdown ensures a server finishes processing active requests before exiting, preventing data loss during deployments.
Deep explanation
You run the HTTP server in a goroutine. The main thread uses a os.Signal channel to listen for SIGINT or SIGTERM (sent by Kubernetes or Docker). Upon receiving the signal, you call server.Shutdown(ctx). This instantly rejects new connections but allows active ones to complete within a given timeout.
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