diff --git a/vlib/net/common.v b/vlib/net/common.v
index 4ce01d43d2..5bc9247556 100644
--- a/vlib/net/common.v
+++ b/vlib/net/common.v
@@ -16,13 +16,36 @@ pub const no_timeout = time.Duration(0)
 // only ever return with data)
 pub const infinite_timeout = time.infinite
 
-// Shutdown shutsdown a socket and closes it
-fn shutdown(handle int) ! {
+// ShutdownDirection is used by `net.shutdown`, for specifying the direction for which the
+// communication will be cut.
+pub enum ShutdownDirection {
+	read
+	write
+	read_and_write
+}
+
+[params]
+pub struct ShutdownConfig {
+	how ShutdownDirection = .read_and_write
+}
+
+// shutdown shutsdown a socket, given its file descriptor `handle`.
+// By default it shuts it down in both directions, both for reading
+// and for writing. You can change that using `net.shutdown(handle, how: .read)`
+// or `net.shutdown(handle, how: .write)`
+pub fn shutdown(handle int, config ShutdownConfig) int {
+	$if windows {
+		return C.shutdown(handle, int(config.how))
+	} $else {
+		return C.shutdown(handle, int(config.how))
+	}
+}
+
+// close a socket, given its file descriptor `handle`.
+pub fn close(handle int) ! {
 	$if windows {
-		C.shutdown(handle, C.SD_BOTH)
 		socket_error(C.closesocket(handle))!
 	} $else {
-		C.shutdown(handle, C.SHUT_RDWR)
 		socket_error(C.close(handle))!
 	}
 }
diff --git a/vlib/net/mbedtls/ssl_connection.v b/vlib/net/mbedtls/ssl_connection.v
index d7c357b6cc..963422d612 100644
--- a/vlib/net/mbedtls/ssl_connection.v
+++ b/vlib/net/mbedtls/ssl_connection.v
@@ -89,13 +89,8 @@ pub fn (mut s SSLConn) shutdown() ! {
 	C.mbedtls_ssl_free(&s.ssl)
 	C.mbedtls_ssl_config_free(&s.conf)
 	if s.owns_socket {
-		$if windows {
-			C.shutdown(s.handle, C.SD_BOTH)
-			net.socket_error(C.closesocket(s.handle))!
-		} $else {
-			C.shutdown(s.handle, C.SHUT_RDWR)
-			net.socket_error(C.close(s.handle))!
-		}
+		net.shutdown(s.handle)
+		net.close(s.handle)!
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/vlib/net/openssl/ssl_connection.v b/vlib/net/openssl/ssl_connection.v
index 5b2ff6891a..7ca3c0f6bf 100644
--- a/vlib/net/openssl/ssl_connection.v
+++ b/vlib/net/openssl/ssl_connection.v
@@ -104,13 +104,8 @@ pub fn (mut s SSLConn) shutdown() ! {
 		C.SSL_CTX_free(s.sslctx)
 	}
 	if s.owns_socket {
-		$if windows {
-			C.shutdown(s.handle, C.SD_BOTH)
-			net.socket_error(C.closesocket(s.handle))!
-		} $else {
-			C.shutdown(s.handle, C.SHUT_RDWR)
-			net.socket_error(C.close(s.handle))!
-		}
+		net.shutdown(s.handle)
+		net.close(s.handle)!
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/vlib/net/tcp.v b/vlib/net/tcp.v
index adb377832a..92404877ef 100644
--- a/vlib/net/tcp.v
+++ b/vlib/net/tcp.v
@@ -454,7 +454,8 @@ pub fn (mut s TcpSocket) bind(addr string) ! {
 }
 
 fn (mut s TcpSocket) close() ! {
-	return shutdown(s.handle)
+	shutdown(s.handle)
+	return close(s.handle)
 }
 
 fn (mut s TcpSocket) @select(test Select, timeout time.Duration) !bool {
diff --git a/vlib/net/udp.v b/vlib/net/udp.v
index 0d6abe80eb..e5c1d317f1 100644
--- a/vlib/net/udp.v
+++ b/vlib/net/udp.v
@@ -278,7 +278,8 @@ pub fn (mut s UdpSocket) set_dualstack(on bool) ! {
 }
 
 fn (mut s UdpSocket) close() ! {
-	return shutdown(s.handle)
+	shutdown(s.handle)
+	return close(s.handle)
 }
 
 fn (mut s UdpSocket) @select(test Select, timeout time.Duration) !bool {
diff --git a/vlib/net/unix/common.v b/vlib/net/unix/common.v
index 348519285b..ec9da8faf1 100644
--- a/vlib/net/unix/common.v
+++ b/vlib/net/unix/common.v
@@ -3,23 +3,23 @@ module unix
 import time
 import net
 
-const (
-	error_ewouldblock = C.EWOULDBLOCK
-)
+const error_ewouldblock = C.EWOULDBLOCK
 
 fn C.SUN_LEN(ptr &C.sockaddr_un) int
 
 fn C.strncpy(&char, &char, int)
 
-// Shutdown shutsdown a socket and closes it
-fn shutdown(handle int) ! {
-	$if windows {
-		C.shutdown(handle, C.SD_BOTH)
-		net.socket_error(C.closesocket(handle))!
-	} $else {
-		C.shutdown(handle, C.SHUT_RDWR)
-		net.socket_error(C.close(handle))!
-	}
+// shutdown shutsdown a socket, given its file descriptor `handle`.
+// By default it shuts it down in both directions, both for reading
+// and for writing. You can change that using `net.shutdown(handle, how: .read)`
+// or `net.shutdown(handle, how: .write)`
+pub fn shutdown(handle int, config net.ShutdownConfig) int {
+	return net.shutdown(handle, config)
+}
+
+// close a socket, given its file descriptor `handle`.
+pub fn close(handle int) ! {
+	net.close(handle)!
 }
 
 // Select waits for an io operation (specified by parameter `test`) to be available
diff --git a/vlib/net/unix/stream_nix.v b/vlib/net/unix/stream_nix.v
index f924332d5c..caf29821ac 100644
--- a/vlib/net/unix/stream_nix.v
+++ b/vlib/net/unix/stream_nix.v
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ fn new_stream_socket() !StreamSocket {
 }
 
 fn (mut s StreamSocket) close() ! {
-	return shutdown(s.handle)
+	shutdown(s.handle)
+	return close(s.handle)
 }
 
 fn (mut s StreamSocket) @select(test Select, timeout time.Duration) !bool {