abort-controller.js

function useAbortController() {
  const abortControllerRef = React.useRef()
  const getAbortController = React.useCallback(() => {
    if (!abortControllerRef.current) {
      abortControllerRef.current = new AbortController()
    }
    return abortControllerRef.current
  }, [])

  React.useEffect(() => {
    return () => getAbortController().abort()
  }, [getAbortController])

  const getSignal = React.useCallback(() => getAbortController().signal, [
    getAbortController,
  ])

  return getSignal
}

Inspired by @charlestbell

• Leave control to the user of the hook to abort() anytime they want, not just on unmount.
• Returns a (memoized) object that resembles the AbortController API: { abort, signal } instead of the getSignal function.
• Strict null checks on abortCtrlRef.current instead of falsey for perf (just because).

function useAbortController() {

  const abortCtrlRef = useRef( null );

  const getAbortController = useCallback(
    () => {
      if ( abortCtrlRef.current === null ) abortCtrlRef.current = new AbortController();
      return abortCtrlRef.current;
    },
    []
  );

  const abort = useCallback(
    () => {
      if ( abortCtrlRef.current !== null ) {
        abortCtrlRef.current.abort();
        abortCtrlRef.current = null;
      }
    },
    []
  );

  return useMemo(
    () => ({
      get signal() { return getAbortController().signal; },
      abort,
    }),
    [ getAbortController, abort ]
  );

}

Usage:

function MyComponent( props ) {

  // { abort, signal } just like a real AbortController
  const { abort, signal } = useAbortController();

  // Some useEffect or other thing you need to be able to abort
  useEffect(() => fetch( url, { signal } ), [ signal ]);

  // The user of the hook can abort whenever they please.
  useEffect(() => () => abort(), [ abort ]);

}

Ia had same implementation in typescript. Only difference if that I'm aborting with reason. I mostly use this in cases when I need to stop a flow on re-render.

import React from "react"

export function useAbortController() {
  const abortControllerRef = React.useRef<AbortController | undefined>()

  const getAbortController = React.useCallback(() => {
    abortControllerRef.current =
      abortControllerRef.current && !abortControllerRef.current.signal.aborted
        ? abortControllerRef.current
        : new AbortController()
    return abortControllerRef.current
  }, [])

  const getSignal = React.useCallback(() => {
    return getAbortController().signal
  }, [getAbortController])

  React.useEffect(() => {
    return () => {
      getAbortController().abort("Re-render")
    }
  }, [getAbortController])

  return getSignal
}