process.exitCode

History

Type?:integer | string | null | undefined

The exit code. For string type, only integer strings (e.g.,'1') are allowed. Default: undefined.

A number which will be the process exit code, when the process either exits gracefully, or is exited via process.exit() without specifying a code.

The value of process.exitCode can be updated by either assigning a value to process.exitCode or by passing an argument to process.exit():

$ node -e 'process.exitCode = 9'; echo $?
9
$ node -e 'process.exit(42)'; echo $?
42
$ node -e 'process.exitCode = 9; process.exit(42)'; echo $?
42

Shell Session

The value can also be set implicitly by Node.js when unrecoverable errors occur (e.g. such as the encountering of an unsettled top-level await). However explicit manipulations of the exit code always take precedence over implicit ones:

$ node --input-type=module -e 'await new Promise(() => {})'; echo $?
13
$ node --input-type=module -e 'process.exitCode = 9; await new Promise(() => {})'; echo $?
9

Shell Session