JavaScript memory leak safe restart decision response

When this happens

Use this when a restart might fix the symptom but could also interrupt users or jobs. Do not stop at the screen message; validate whether reload, restart, queue drain, or rollback is safer first.

Symptom checklist

• memory leak appears repeatedly in the JavaScript UI or logs.
• browser console, stack trace, sourcemap, bundle, network tab differs between successful and failed requests.
• The issue appears only after separating browser runtime error from build/deploy error.
• It often follows deploys, permission changes, configuration edits, or data refreshes.

Likely causes

• memory leak specifically changes the investigation surface for JavaScript: verify the exact failing object, route, user, and timestamp before applying the broader pattern.
• The process exceeds memory or heap limits under real data size.
• Disk space, inode count, or mounted volume state fails before byte usage looks obvious.
• File descriptors leak across repeated requests.
• Logs, cache, or build artifacts grow without retention.
• A workload runs synchronously instead of being chunked.
• For the safe restart decision case, the first useful clue is whether reload, restart, queue drain, or rollback is safer.

First 1-minute checks

1. Write down the first failure time, latest change, affected user, path, and object ID.
2. Compare browser console, stack trace, sourcemap, bundle, network tab for success and failure in the same window.
3. Test the hypothesis: resource exhaustion caused by memory pressure, disk or inode shortage, descriptor limits, cache growth, volume state, or oversized workload.
4. Classify this as safe restart decision: whether reload, restart, queue drain, or rollback is safer.
5. Capture current values before changing configuration.

First evidence

Treat memory leak as a safe restart decision case. First collect evidence for whether reload, restart, queue drain, or rollback is safer.

Output examples

Normal output

Config test passes and active requests or jobs can be drained safely.

Failing output

The service is crash-looping, has invalid config, or still has in-flight critical jobs.

Output-to-action branches

• A restart might fix the symptom but could also interrupt users or jobs.
  Run config tests, inspect active jobs, choose reload when possible, and prepare rollback.
• The working and failing outputs differ.
  Act on the differing layer first: For memory leak, apply the fix only after reproducing the same condition and saving the before/after evidence for this exact code.
• Command output is normal but users still fail.
  Separate browser cache, cookies, permissions, and network location before declaring it fixed.

Do not do this

• Do not restart blindly before saving logs and validating configuration.
• Do not change multiple layers before identifying the failing layer.
• Do not delete production data, grant broad permissions, or disable security controls as a first response.

Evidence quality

Auto-generated operator draft: includes issue-specific causes, commands, output branches, and unsafe-action warnings. Official-source links and real incident validation are queued for enrichment.

Commands to run first

grep -R "memory leak" ./logs

npm test -- --runInBand

npm run build

node --trace-warnings app.js

grep -R "memory leak" src dist

df -h && df -i

ulimit -n

ps aux --sort=-%mem | head

du -sh ./* | sort -h | tail

systemctl status SERVICE --no-pager && journalctl -u SERVICE -n 100 --no-pager

Fix order

1. Record the full memory leak message, failing URL, user, object ID, and latest change.
2. Collect issue-specific evidence for resource exhaustion caused by memory pressure, disk or inode shortage, descriptor limits, cache growth, volume state, or oversized workload.
3. Compare the failing case with a successful case before editing settings.
4. If this is the safe restart decision branch, Run config tests, inspect active jobs, choose reload when possible, and prepare rollback.
5. Re-check with the same command and URL, then record the normal output.

Actions by cause

• For memory leak, apply the fix only after reproducing the same condition and saving the before/after evidence for this exact code.
• Measure memory, disk, inode, descriptor, and mounted volume state at failure time.
• Clean generated artifacts and add retention policies.
• Raise limits only after removing leaks or oversized batches.
• Chunk large jobs and stream outputs where possible.
• Add alerts before hard exhaustion.
• For the safe restart decision branch, Run config tests, inspect active jobs, choose reload when possible, and prepare rollback.

Evidence links

• MDN JavaScript error reference official
• Node.js diagnostics official

Verification metadata

• operator-draft
• official-reference-linked
• 2026-07-23

Update queue

• Review cadence
  weekly-source-review
• Next enrichment
  Add one official-source check and one real output example for JavaScript memory leak.

Environment-specific checks

• Shared hosting, proxies, VPNs, or CDN layers can change browser runtime error from build/deploy error results.
• Do not trust only the JavaScript UI; compare command output.
• Japanese hosting panels may show completion before DNS or SSL fully propagates.
• Test from both office and external networks.

Prevent it next time

• Store normal examples for browser console, stack trace, sourcemap, bundle, network tab.
• Add null guards, import paths, polyfills, sourcemaps, reproduction tests to the release checklist.
• Keep recurring errors in the same note format.
• Split alerts by error rate, latency, certificates, disk, and permission changes.

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