HTTP Graceful Shutdown | The Backend Engineering Show

In this episode, Hussein explores why and how backends close connections gracefully—whether it’s to free up resources, dodge bad actors, or just keep things tidy. You’ll learn how HTTP/1.1 uses the Connection header to signal a polite “see ya later” and how HTTP/2 leans on the GOAWAY frame to wind down streams without dropping any in-flight requests.

He walks you through the costs and trade-offs (spoiler: HTTP/2 has its quirks), with handy timestamps so you can jump straight to the good parts. Plus, he sprinkles in links to code examples, Chromium issue trackers, and a whole library of courses on Node.js, networking, databases—you name it—to take your backend game to the next level. Enjoy!

Watch on YouTube