how to stop node.js server

I run the node server by typing

node server.js

from a putty terminal to get it running. Now i want to stop the server how should i do it? I tried pressing the pause break button on the keyboard. But it is not stopping it.

Try using ctrl+c, usually does the trick.

Try from another terminal

killall node

Works in OS X and Linux. It may also prevent respawning node processes. For instance if a node some_server.js is running it may that any normal kill command (even kill -9 <PID_of_that_process> will simply result in a respawn node some_server.js process with a different PID. In that situation the only way to kill it is: killall node. I solved this issue on Redhat Linux RHEL7 but it should work the same for most Linux OS.

If you are going to use the 'top' command to kill a process, you should try sending the '2' signal first, not '9'. Sending '9' is kind of like pulling the plug on your computer instead of issuing a shutdown command. It can sometimes have some undesirable consequences. Sending '2' has the same effect as ctrl+c.

For reference, here are the different signals you can send to stop a process and what they mean: (from kill man page)

 1       HUP (hang up)
 2       INT (interrupt)
 3       QUIT (quit)
 6       ABRT (abort)
 9       KILL (non-catchable, non-ignorable kill)
 14      ALRM (alarm clock)
 15      TERM (software termination signal)