What is stopImmediatePropagation()?

The stopImmediatePropagation() method is part of the Event interface in JavaScript. It is used to stop the execution of all remaining event listeners that are registered to the same event target for the same event type.

In other words, if you have multiple event listeners for the same event on the same element, calling event.stopImmediatePropagation() inside one listener prevents the others from running.

Syntax

event.stopImmediatePropagation();

event is the event object automatically passed to the event handler when an event occurs.

This method has no return value.

How It Differs from stopPropagation()

Feature	stopPropagation()	stopImmediatePropagation()
Stops event bubbling?	Yes	Yes
Stops other listeners on the same element?	No	Yes
Prevents handlers from running on parent elements?	Yes	Yes
Prevents handlers of the same event on the same element?	No	Yes

Use Case Example

Let’s demonstrate this with an example:

HTML:

<button id="myButton">Click Me</button>

JavaScript:

const button = document.getElementById('myButton');

button.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  console.log('Listener 1');
  e.stopImmediatePropagation();
});

button.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  console.log('Listener 2');
});

button.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  console.log('Listener 3');
});

Output on click:

Listener 1

• Only Listener 1 is executed.
• Listeners 2 and 3 are skipped because stopImmediatePropagation() was called in Listener 1.

Comparison Example with stopPropagation()

Let’s modify Listener 1 to use stopPropagation() instead:

button.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  console.log('Listener 1');
  e.stopPropagation(); // Does not stop other listeners on same element
});

Output on click:

Listener 1
Listener 2
Listener 3

• All three listeners run.
• However, the event will not bubble up to parent elements.

When to Use stopImmediatePropagation()

Use this method when you want to make sure no other event listeners on the same element get triggered after this one. This is particularly useful when:

• You want to short-circuit further handling under certain conditions.
• You have higher priority event listeners and want to prevent conflicting logic from other handlers.

Example: Form Validation

const submitBtn = document.querySelector('#submitBtn');

submitBtn.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  const username = document.querySelector('#username').value;
  if (!username) {
    alert('Username is required');
    e.stopImmediatePropagation(); // Stop further processing
  }
});

submitBtn.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
  console.log('This will not run if username is missing');
});

If the username is missing, the second event handler won’t run at all due to stopImmediatePropagation().

Real-World Caution

• Use stopImmediatePropagation() sparingly. It’s a hard stop and can lead to unpredictable behavior if other developers (or libraries) have also registered event handlers.
• Document it clearly if used in shared codebases.

Conclusion

• stopImmediatePropagation() is a powerful method for controlling the flow of events.
• It stops the event from bubbling and prevents all other listeners on the same target from being executed.
• It differs from stopPropagation() which only stops bubbling but not other handlers on the same element.