`node` can't `fork(2)` safely

[mmalecki]

Seems like this has something to do with file descriptors getting screwed during forking.

I'll try describing this problem using problems we've had with forever.

When forever forks, it tries to start up a Unix socket server. It worked with node v0.4 but doesn't work with node v0.6. Bad Unix socket persist, causing ECONNREFUSED. Also, unlinking pid file is not possible.

Module we're using for forking is daemon.node.

I think that forever isn't the only usecase for forking processes (right now there's no native way to background a node process without killing it!).

@bnoordhuis told me that node (including libuv) isn't fork-safe and that making it fork-safe isn't even taken into consideration. Can we reconsider it?

[bmeck]

Does anyone know if this affects systems like WebOS that use fork?

[mmalecki]

@bmeck I think that WebOS still uses node@0.4.12 (where fork(2) kinda worked).

[loqur]

+1

[thinkroth]

+1

[edwardhotchkiss]

+1

[mikosh75]

+1

[alejandro]

+1

[mlegenhausen]

+1

[erikhoward]

+1

[perezd]

+1

[thejh]

Well, can't you somehow deamonize before loading up node?

[xdenser]

+1

[danhak]

+1

[mmalecki]

@thejh In this specific situation, there is no workaround. Even if there was one, that's not the point. Ability to fork your process is pretty important.

[navanjr]

+1