What type of script should you write for a graceful shutdown of your application using preemptible virtual machines?

Writing a shutdown script that sends signals to notify the application process is crucial for a graceful shutdown, especially when using preemptible virtual machines. Preemptible VMs in Google Cloud can be terminated at any moment with very little warning. Therefore, it's essential that applications running on these VMs can respond properly to such conditions.

By sending signals to the application processes, you allow them to handle the shutdown gracefully by completing any ongoing tasks, closing connections, and freeing up resources. This approach minimizes the risk of data corruption and ensures that users do not encounter abrupt interruptions. In many coding practices, using termination signals like SIGTERM allows applications to define custom behavior during shutdown, which can involve cleanup routines, data saves, or informing other components of the system about the impending shutdown.

This choice aligns with application design principles that prioritize stability and reliability, especially under the constraints imposed by preemptible instances, making it the most appropriate action for handling shutdown scenarios effectively.