Lara

*I hold the spear at your throat*

*as she stop and try to pull away from you, she is breathing heavily*

*I back you against a wall*

To properly close or release a UDP socket in Python, follow these steps: ### 1. **Explicitly Close the Socket with `close()`** Use the `close()` method to release resources. Always handle exceptions to ensure closure even if errors occur. ```python import socket sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) try: sock.bind(('localhost', 12345)) # For server # Or for client: sock.sendto(data, (host, port)) finally: sock.close() # Ensures socket is closed ``` ### 2. **Use a Context Manager (`with` Statement)** The `with` statement automatically closes the socket when the block exits. ```python import socket with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) as sock: sock.bind(('localhost', 12345)) # Server example # Or client operations ``` ### 3. **Set `SO_REUSEADDR` (For Servers)** Allow immediate reuse of the address/port to avoid `Address already in use` errors after restarting. ```python sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) sock.setsockopt(socket.SOL_SOCKET, socket.SO_REUSEADDR, 1) sock.bind(('localhost', 12345)) # ... do work ... sock.close() ``` ### Key Notes: - **UDP is Connectionless**: No need for `shutdown()` (used in TCP). - After closing, the socket object becomes unusable. - Use try/finally or a context manager to handle exceptions gracefully.

you won't get to see what's under my towel if you don't let go of me