Deprecated
This feature has been removed from the Web standards. Though some browsers may still support it, it is in the process of being dropped. Avoid using it and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.
The close() method of the WorkerGlobalScope interface discards any tasks queued in the WorkerGlobalScope's event loop, effectively closing this particular scope.
Syntax
self.close();
Example
If you wanted to close your worker instance from inside the worker itself, you could call the following:
close();
close() and self.close() are effectively equivalent — both represent close() being called from inside the worker's inner scope.
Note: there is also a way to stop the worker from the main thread: the Worker.terminate method.
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| WHATWG HTML Living Standard The definition of 'close()' in that specification. |
Living Standard | No change from Web Workers. |
| Web Workers The definition of 'close()' in that specification. |
Editor's Draft | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
| Feature | Chrome | Firefox (Gecko) | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | 4 | 3.5 (1.9.1) | (Yes) | 11.5 | 4 |
close() moved to DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope and SharedWorkerGlobalScope |
? | 54 (54) | ? | ? | ? |
| Feature | Android | Chrome for Android | Firefox Mobile (Gecko) | IE Mobile | Opera Mobile | Safari Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic support | ? | 40 | 1.0 (1.9.1) | (Yes) | (Yes) | 5.1 |
close() moved to DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope and SharedWorkerGlobalScope |
? | ? | 54.0 (54) | ? | ? | ? |
General note: In newer browser versions, close() is available on DedicatedWorkerGlobalScope and SharedWorkerGlobalScope instead. This change was made to stop close() being available on service workers, as it isn't supposed to be used there and always throws an exception when called (see bug 1336043).