How to fix java.net.SocketException: Connection reset by peer: socket write error? [Solved]

"Exception in thread "main" java.net.SocketException: Software caused connection abort: socket write error" comes when you are writing into a connection which is already closed by your peer i.e. the other party in the connection. For example, if you are server and sending response to client but client closed its connection before you complete writing response, the write() method of DataOutputStream will throw this error. It's not necessary that this error will only come when you are using DataOutputStream, it can come even if you are just using and OutputStream or SocketOutputStream point is you are writing in a socket which is closed by other end. Here is the actual error message with stacktrace:

Exception in thread "main" java.net.SocketException: Software caused connection abort: socket write error
at java.net.SocketOutputStream.socketWrite0(Native Method)
at java.net.SocketOutputStream.socketWrite(Unknown Source)

This error is similar to other socket errors which we have solved previously like too many open files, broken pipe, failed to read from socket channel, and software connection abord:recv failed errors. If you have not checked them yet, you can also check them those article to improve your understanding of Socket programming in Java. 

What is java.net.SocketException: Connection reset by peer: socket write error?

The java.net.SocketException: Connection reset by peer error is a common exception in network programming, particularly in client-server interactions. This exception typically occurs when the peer, which is the other end of the connection (usually the server), unexpectedly closes the connection.

Here's some more information about this error which is worth knowing:

1. When it Occurs

The error occurs when your Java application is writing to a socket, and the connection is unexpectedly closed by the peer (the other side of the connection, often the server). This can happen for various reasons, such as network issues, server restarts, or the peer explicitly closing the connection.

2. How to Avoid It

You can avoid this error by ensuring  that your network is stable and that the server you're connecting to is responsive.  You can also handle it better by implementing proper error handling and reconnection mechanisms in your code.

How to Fix this error?

You can fix this error by implementing error handling in your code to gracefully handle SocketException and take appropriate action. For example, you might want to attempt to reconnect or inform the user of the issue.

Consider implementing exponential backoff strategies when reconnecting to avoid overwhelming the server in case of temporary network issues.

Here are few more tips to solve this error:

1) handle each client in separate thread to avoid server crashing due to an impatient client
2) log the error so that when client come back complaining it didn't receive response you can show it that connection was reset at client end.
3) Make sure you have documented the connection protocol so that both client and server knows about timeouts.

Here's a simple example demonstrating a basic client that connects to a server and handles SocketException:

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.net.Socket;

public class MyClient {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String serverAddress = "localhost";
        int serverPort = 8080;

        while (true) {
            try (Socket socket = new Socket(serverAddress, serverPort)) {
                // Do something with the socket (e.g., write data)
                OutputStream outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
                outputStream.write("Hello, Server!".getBytes());
            } catch (IOException e) {
                if (e instanceof java.net.SocketException
                        && e.getMessage().equals("Connection reset")) {
                    System.out.println("Connection reset by peer. Retrying...");
                    // Implement your reconnection logic here.
                } else {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

In this example, the code attempts to write data to the server. If a SocketException occurs with the message "Connection reset," it catches the exception and prints a message. You would replace the placeholder comment with your reconnection logic.

That's all about how to fix the "java.net.SocketException: Connection reset by peer: socket write error" in Java. As I said, this error comes when you are writing into a connection which is already closed by your peer i.e. the other party in the connection.You can use these tips to both avoid and solve this problem. Remember that the specifics of handling this error may depend on the details of your application architecture and requirements.

Other Java error and exception guides you may like

• How to fix "illegal start of expression" compile time error in Java? (tutorial)
• java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory error (solution)
• 10 common reasons of java.lang.NumberFormatException in Java? (tutorial)
• How to connect to MySQL database in Java? (tutorial)
• java.sql.SQLServerException: The index 58 is out of range - JDBC (solution)
• How to fix 'javac' is not recognized as an internal or external command (solution)
• How to solve java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.mysql.jdbc.Driver error? (hint)
• How to fix Caused By: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Logger (solution)
• Fixing java.lang.unsupportedclassversionerror unsupported major.minor version 50.0 (solution)
• How to solve java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java Heap Space in Eclipse, Tomcat? (solution)
• Cause and solution of "class, interface, or enum expected" compiler error in Java? (fix)
• No suitable driver found for 'jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/mysql [Solution]
• How to solve java.lang.classnotfoundexception oracle.jdbc.driver.oracledriver? (solution)
• How to avoid ConcurrentModificationException in Java? (tutorial)
• How to solve java.sql.BatchUpdateException: String or binary data would be truncated (guide)
• How to solve "could not create the Java virtual machine" error in Java? (solution)
• How to solve "variable might not have initialized" compile time error in Java? (answer)
• Common reasons of java.lang.ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException in Java? (solution)
• How to fix "Error: Could not find or load main class" in Eclipse? (guide)
• ClassNotFoundException : org.Springframework.Web.Context.ContextLoaderListener (solution)

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you want to learn more about Socket Programming in Java, I suggest you check these advanced core Java courses which contain some references for socket and network programming in Java.