Does setInterval consume a significant amount of CPU resources?

Question

Does setInterval consume a significant amount of CPU resources?

Recently, I came across an article stating that setInterval is considered to be CPU intensive. To verify this claim, I developed a script utilizing setInterval and closely monitored the CPU usage. Surprisingly, I did not observe any significant changes in the CPU performance. This has led me to question if there might be something crucial that I overlooked.

The script essentially performs periodic checks for alterations in the URL hash (the content appearing after #) every 100 milliseconds. If a change is detected, it triggers a page load through AJAX. However, if no changes are identified, the script remains idle. Considering this operation, could there potentially be any concerns regarding CPU resources?

javascript ajax cpu setinterval

Answer 1

Answer №1

Using setInterval may not necessarily cause significant performance issues, as it might have in the past when CPUs were less powerful.

To optimize the performance, consider these steps:

Provide a function to setInterval, instead of a string.
Minimize the number of intervals set.
Increase the interval durations whenever possible.
Keep the code within the interval short and uncomplicated.

Avoid premature optimization - don't create problems for yourself where none exist.

In your case, using the onhashchange event instead of timeouts in browsers that support it could be beneficial.

Answer 2

Using setInterval may not necessarily cause significant performance issues, as it might have in the past when CPUs were less powerful.

To optimize the performance, consider these steps:

Provide a function to setInterval, instead of a string.
Minimize the number of intervals set.
Increase the interval durations whenever possible.
Keep the code within the interval short and uncomplicated.

Avoid premature optimization - don't create problems for yourself where none exist.

In your case, using the onhashchange event instead of timeouts in browsers that support it could be beneficial.

Answer 3

Answer №2

In my opinion, it's actually quite the contrary. When utilized correctly, both setTimeout and setInterval can significantly decrease CPU usage on browsers. For example, opting for setTimeout over a for or while loop not only lessens CPU load but also ensures that the browser has opportunities to update the UI queue more frequently. This prevents long-running processes from freezing and disrupting user experience.

However, excessively relying on setInterval throughout your site can lead to performance slowdowns. Running 20 intervals simultaneously, especially with demanding tasks, can impact overall performance. But then again, any part of the code can cause trouble if misused – not just setInterval.

Moreover, there is no need to manually check the hash in such manner. There are dedicated events for that purpose:

onhashchange

This event triggers whenever there's a change in the hash value.

window.addEventListener('hashchange', function(e) {
    console.log('hash changed, yay!');
}, false);

Answer 4

In my opinion, it's actually quite the contrary. When utilized correctly, both setTimeout and setInterval can significantly decrease CPU usage on browsers. For example, opting for setTimeout over a for or while loop not only lessens CPU load but also ensures that the browser has opportunities to update the UI queue more frequently. This prevents long-running processes from freezing and disrupting user experience.

However, excessively relying on setInterval throughout your site can lead to performance slowdowns. Running 20 intervals simultaneously, especially with demanding tasks, can impact overall performance. But then again, any part of the code can cause trouble if misused – not just setInterval.

Moreover, there is no need to manually check the hash in such manner. There are dedicated events for that purpose:

onhashchange

This event triggers whenever there's a change in the hash value.

window.addEventListener('hashchange', function(e) {
    console.log('hash changed, yay!');
}, false);

Answer 5

Answer №3

On the question of whether or not setInterval is CPU intensive by itself, the answer is no. However, if you have multiple intervals running on short cycles or a complex operation running on a moderately long interval, then it can easily become CPU intensive depending on the specific tasks and frequencies involved.

Checking the URL every 100 milliseconds should not pose any issues, but some may opt to increase the interval to 250 milliseconds for better efficiency. It's generally recommended to use longer timeout intervals whenever possible, especially for tasks that may result in a no-op most of the time.

Answer 6

On the question of whether or not setInterval is CPU intensive by itself, the answer is no. However, if you have multiple intervals running on short cycles or a complex operation running on a moderately long interval, then it can easily become CPU intensive depending on the specific tasks and frequencies involved.

Checking the URL every 100 milliseconds should not pose any issues, but some may opt to increase the interval to 250 milliseconds for better efficiency. It's generally recommended to use longer timeout intervals whenever possible, especially for tasks that may result in a no-op most of the time.

Answer 7

Answer №4

Under the guise of "CPU intensive," there seems to be a subtle marketing ploy at play here. In reality, it simply means that it requires more CPU power compared to some other options. It's not what you would typically consider "CPU intensive" like a demanding game or compression algorithm.

A breakdown of the technicalities:

When the browser relinquishes control, it relies on an interrupt from the underlying operating system and hardware to regain control and execute the JavaScript callback. Longer intervals between these interrupts allow the hardware to enter low power states, leading to decreased power consumption. By default, Microsoft Windows OS and Intel processors use 15.6ms resolutions for these interrupts (64 interrupts per second), enabling Intel processors to reach their lowest power state. As a result, in the past, web developers could only achieve 64 callbacks per second using setTimeout(0) with HTML4 browsers such as older versions of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

In recent years, browsers have aimed to increase the number of callbacks per second available to JavaScript developers through changes in power settings on Windows systems and by preventing hardware from entering low power states. The HTML5 specification even recommends up to 250 callbacks per second, potentially causing a 40% rise in power consumption that impacts battery life, costs, and the environment. However, this strategy fails to address the fundamental issue of improving CPU efficiency and scheduling.

Source:

Answer 8

Under the guise of "CPU intensive," there seems to be a subtle marketing ploy at play here. In reality, it simply means that it requires more CPU power compared to some other options. It's not what you would typically consider "CPU intensive" like a demanding game or compression algorithm.

A breakdown of the technicalities:

When the browser relinquishes control, it relies on an interrupt from the underlying operating system and hardware to regain control and execute the JavaScript callback. Longer intervals between these interrupts allow the hardware to enter low power states, leading to decreased power consumption. By default, Microsoft Windows OS and Intel processors use 15.6ms resolutions for these interrupts (64 interrupts per second), enabling Intel processors to reach their lowest power state. As a result, in the past, web developers could only achieve 64 callbacks per second using setTimeout(0) with HTML4 browsers such as older versions of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

In recent years, browsers have aimed to increase the number of callbacks per second available to JavaScript developers through changes in power settings on Windows systems and by preventing hardware from entering low power states. The HTML5 specification even recommends up to 250 callbacks per second, potentially causing a 40% rise in power consumption that impacts battery life, costs, and the environment. However, this strategy fails to address the fundamental issue of improving CPU efficiency and scheduling.

Source:

Answer 9

Answer №5

There shouldn't be any problems in your situation, but if you are running extensive animations in canvas or working with webgl, you may encounter some CPU issues. In that case, consider using requestAnimationFrame.

For more information, check out this link About requestAnimationFrame

Answer 10

There shouldn't be any problems in your situation, but if you are running extensive animations in canvas or working with webgl, you may encounter some CPU issues. In that case, consider using requestAnimationFrame.

For more information, check out this link About requestAnimationFrame

Answer 11

Answer №6

Avoiding using long functions that exceed the interval time is crucial to prevent CPU hiccups and slowdowns, as they can stack on top of each other and eventually lead to the computer freezing. It is recommended to utilize settimeout or, for even better performance, process.nextick using a callback within a settimeout.

Answer 12

Avoiding using long functions that exceed the interval time is crucial to prevent CPU hiccups and slowdowns, as they can stack on top of each other and eventually lead to the computer freezing. It is recommended to utilize settimeout or, for even better performance, process.nextick using a callback within a settimeout.

Does setInterval consume a significant amount of CPU resources?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

Answer №6

Similar questions

Unable to remove the "d-none" class using Bootstrap 4

Orbiting ThreeJS object positioned at the coordinates (0,0,0)

Run the GetServerSideProps function every time the button is clicked

Enhance Ext.data.Connection by overriding the request method

a function that repeats every single second

An error has occurred in the Shadow Dom due to the inability to access the property 'style' of an

Utilize Vue to access and read a file stored in the current directory

"JavaScript encountered an Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property 'style' of undefined

What could be causing this slider to malfunction in Firefox?

Dynamic Images with Next.js

Utilizing JSON.stringify with variables and arrays

Disabling 'Input Number' feature is ineffective in Firefox browser

Ways to invoke a next.js api that implements next-auth programmatically

How can I write this to function on click events?

Updates to props values are not being reflected in the React js application running on the webpack

React JS: You must define 'Message' in order to avoid the react/jsx-no-undef error

How can I effectively implement a withAuth higher order component (HOC) in TypeScript within Next.js?

How can one retrieve a Python object from a prior HTTP request?

The Resharper guideline "Function Parameter" doesn't allow the usage of AngularJS service names

Angular Bootstrap Popover will now automatically hide after a short period of time due to the removal of the tt_isOpen variable in ui-bootstrap-tpls-0