# IMessageQueue.stop() method · @imqueue/core

Source: https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue.stop/
Published: 2026-08-04
Author: @imqueue maintainers (https://github.com/imqueue)
Package: @imqueue/core 3.3.2 — generated reference, not hand-written

Stops consuming, so no further `message` events fire.

**Signature:**

```typescript
stop(): Promise<IMessageQueue>;
```
**Returns:**

Promise<[IMessageQueue](https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue/)>

this queue instance

## Remarks

Only the reader is torn down. The writer connection, the watcher lock and the watcher/maintenance timers all stay active, and [IMessageQueue.send()](https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue.send/) and [IMessageQueue.publish()](https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue.publish/) keep working — call [IMessageQueue.destroy()](https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue.destroy/) to release those. Safe to call when not started, and [IMessageQueue.start()](https://imqueue.org/api/core/latest/core.imessagequeue.start/) may be called again afterwards.