diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 18f44467931..548a3e4d556 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ jobs:
     - name: JS API Tests
       run: node scripts/js-api-tests.js
 
+    - name: NodeJS Unref Tests
+      run: node scripts/node-unref-tests.js
+
     - name: Plugin Tests
       run: node scripts/plugin-tests.js
 
diff --git a/lib/node.ts b/lib/node.ts
index 1ba21ce3a10..89701e76a52 100644
--- a/lib/node.ts
+++ b/lib/node.ts
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ export let startService: typeof types.startService = common.referenceCountedServ
     windowsHide: true,
     stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'inherit'],
   });
+
   let { readFromStdout, afterClose, service } = common.createChannel({
     writeToStdin(bytes) {
       child.stdin.write(bytes);
@@ -159,25 +160,59 @@ export let startService: typeof types.startService = common.referenceCountedServ
     isSync: false,
     isBrowser: false,
   });
-  child.stdout.on('data', readFromStdout);
-  child.stdout.on('end', afterClose);
+
+  const stdin: typeof child.stdin & { unref?(): void } = child.stdin;
+  const stdout: typeof child.stdout & { unref?(): void } = child.stdout;
+
+  stdout.on('data', readFromStdout);
+  stdout.on('end', afterClose);
+
+  let refCount = 0;
+  child.unref();
+  if (stdin.unref) {
+    stdin.unref();
+  }
+  if (stdout.unref) {
+    stdout.unref();
+  }
+
+  const unref = () => {
+    if (--refCount === 0) {
+      child.unref();
+    }
+  };
+
+  const refPromise = <T>(promise: Promise<T>): Promise<T> => {
+    if (++refCount === 1) {
+      child.ref();
+    }
+    promise.then(unref, unref);
+    return promise;
+  }
 
   // Create an asynchronous Promise-based API
   return Promise.resolve({
     build: (options: types.BuildOptions): Promise<any> =>
-      new Promise<types.BuildResult>((resolve, reject) =>
+      refPromise(new Promise<types.BuildResult>((resolve, reject) =>
         service.buildOrServe('build', null, options, isTTY(), (err, res) =>
-          err ? reject(err) : resolve(res as types.BuildResult))),
+          err ? reject(err) : resolve(res as types.BuildResult)))),
     serve: (serveOptions, buildOptions) => {
       if (serveOptions === null || typeof serveOptions !== 'object')
         throw new Error('The first argument must be an object')
-      return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
-        service.buildOrServe('serve', serveOptions, buildOptions, isTTY(), (err, res) =>
-          err ? reject(err) : resolve(res as types.ServeResult)))
+      return refPromise(new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
+        service.buildOrServe('serve', serveOptions, buildOptions, isTTY(), (err, res) => {
+          if (err) {
+            reject(err);
+          } else {
+            refPromise((res as types.ServeResult).wait)
+            resolve(res as types.ServeResult);
+          }
+        })
+      ))
     },
     transform: (input, options) => {
       input += '';
-      return new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
+      return refPromise(new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
         service.transform('transform', input, options || {}, isTTY(), {
           readFile(tempFile, callback) {
             try {
@@ -201,7 +236,7 @@ export let startService: typeof types.startService = common.referenceCountedServ
               callback(null);
             }
           },
-        }, (err, res) => err ? reject(err) : resolve(res!)));
+        }, (err, res) => err ? reject(err) : resolve(res!))));
     },
     stop() { child.kill(); },
   });
diff --git a/scripts/node-unref-tests.js b/scripts/node-unref-tests.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c68e2503c90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/node-unref-tests.js
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+// This test verifies that:
+//  - a running service will not prevent NodeJS to exit if there is no compilation in progress.
+//  - the NodeJS process will continue running if there is a serve() active or a transform or build in progress.
+
+const assert = require('assert')
+const { fork } = require('child_process');
+
+// The tests to run in the child process
+async function tests() {
+  const esbuild = require('./esbuild').installForTests()
+
+  async function testTransform() {
+    const t1 = await esbuild.transform(`1+2`)
+    const t2 = await esbuild.transform(`1+3`)
+    assert.strictEqual(t1.code, `1 + 2;\n`)
+    assert.strictEqual(t2.code, `1 + 3;\n`)
+  }
+  
+  async function testServe() {
+    const server = await esbuild.serve({}, {})
+    assert.strictEqual(server.host, '127.0.0.1')
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof server.port, 'number')
+    server.stop()
+    await server.wait
+  }
+
+  const service = await esbuild.startService();
+  try {
+    await testTransform()
+    await testServe()
+  } catch (error) {
+    service.stop();
+    throw error;
+  }
+}
+
+// Called when this is the hild process to run the tests.
+function runTests() {
+  process.exitCode = 1;
+  tests().then(() => {
+    process.exitCode = 0;
+  }, (error) => {
+    console.error('❌', error)
+  });
+}
+
+// A child process need to be started to verify that a running service is not hanging node.
+function startChildProcess() {
+  const child = fork(__filename, ['__forked__'], { stdio: 'inherit', env: process.env });
+
+  const timeout = setTimeout(()=> {
+    console.error('❌ node unref test timeout - child_process.unref() broken?')
+    process.exit(1);
+  }, 6000);
+
+  child.on('error', (error) => {
+    console.error('❌', error);
+    process.exit(1);
+  })
+
+  child.on('exit', (code) => {
+    clearTimeout(timeout);
+    if (code) {
+      console.error('❌ node unref tests failed')
+      process.exit(1);
+    } else {
+      console.log(`✅ node unref tests passed`)
+    }
+  })
+}
+
+if (process.argv[2] === '__forked__') {
+  runTests();
+} else {
+  startChildProcess();
+}
\ No newline at end of file