WebSocket 1001 Going Away vs 1012 Service Restart
Both WebSocket 1001 (Going Away) and 1012 (Service Restart) belong to the WebSocket Close Codes category. 1001 indicates that an endpoint is going away, such as a server shutting down or a browser navigating away from the page. The connection must be closed. Meanwhile, 1012 means that the server is terminating the connection because it is restarting. The client should reconnect after a brief delay.
Description
An endpoint is going away, such as a server shutting down or a browser navigating away from the page. The connection must be closed.
When You See It
The server is shutting down for maintenance, or the user navigated away from the page or closed the browser tab while a WebSocket was open.
How to Fix
Implement automatic reconnection logic with exponential backoff in your client. If the server is restarting, the client should retry after a short delay.
Description
The server is terminating the connection because it is restarting. The client should reconnect after a brief delay.
When You See It
The server is performing a planned restart — for example, during a deployment or configuration reload. The connection will be available again shortly.
How to Fix
Implement automatic reconnection with a short delay (1-5 seconds). This code signals that reconnecting is expected and should succeed once the server is back up.
Key Differences
WebSocket 1001: An endpoint is going away, such as a server shutting down or a browser navigating away from the page. The connection must be closed.
WebSocket 1012: The server is terminating the connection because it is restarting. The client should reconnect after a brief delay.
You encounter 1001 when the server is shutting down for maintenance, or the user navigated away from the page or closed the browser tab while a WebSocket was open.
You encounter 1012 when the server is performing a planned restart — for example, during a deployment or configuration reload. The connection will be available again shortly.
When to Use Which
For 1001 (Going Away): Implement automatic reconnection logic with exponential backoff in your client. If the server is restarting, the client should retry after a short delay. For 1012 (Service Restart): Implement automatic reconnection with a short delay (1-5 seconds). This code signals that reconnecting is expected and should succeed once the server is back up.