What advantages does the Step function (AWS) offer compared to setTimeout (Javascript) for scheduling tasks?

I am currently in the process of developing an API service that allows any client to provide me with their HTTP request along with the desired time in seconds for execution. I have considered two potential approaches to achieve this:

  1. Utilizing a lambda function with nodeJS and implementing setTimeout to introduce a delay before executing the HTTP request.
  2. Creating a step function that waits for a specified number of seconds before triggering my lambda function to execute the HTTP request.

My main goal is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. While using setTimeout seems simple and does not present any obvious issues, I am curious if there are specific reasons why opting for step functions would be beneficial?

javascriptamazon-web-servicesaws-lambdaaws-step-functions

Answer №1

In a split second, I can come up with the following points, and will update if more thoughts pop into my mind.

  1. Lambda has the potential to timeout, while StepFunctions have the ability to wait for extended periods, such as a year.
  2. While Lambda incurs costs for the time it spends waiting, StepFunctions do not.
  3. There is a limit on concurrent executions for lambda, totaling 1000, whereas StepFunctions can handle up to a maximum of 1,000,000 open executions.

Link:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/step-functions/latest/dg/limits.html#service-limits-state-machine-executions
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/concurrent-executions.html#per-function-concurrency

Answer №2

When it comes to aws step functions, I must admit that my knowledge is lacking, and therefore I cannot provide any insight on the topic.

However, utilizing a setTimeout in nodejs with a potentially significant delay can pose challenges when aiming for a stable and maintainable API. This can be problematic due to several reasons:

  • When rolling out updates for your application, you either have to terminate waiting requests or keep the application running until all pending requests are completed before shutting down the old code.

  • In the event of an application crash, all ongoing waiting requests will be lost.

  • If a critical security update requires restarting the system where nodejs operates, all pending requests will also be lost.

As a result, using setTimeout in such scenarios is not recommended. To handle these situations effectively in node, it is essential to store or mirror these requests in a persistent storage solution.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

The integration between React hook form and reactstrap input components is not functioning properly

Having an issue with react-hook-form and reactstrap. The component List.jsx is causing trouble: import { useContext, useEffect } from "react"; import { ListContext, ADD_LIST } from '../providers/ShoppingListProvider'; import { Link } from "react- ...

javascripthtmlreactjsreact-hook-formreactstrap

Attempting to categorize JSON object elements into separate arrays dynamically depending on their values

Here's the JSON data I'm currently working with: ?$where=camis%20=%2230112340%22 I plan to dynamically generate queries using different datasets, so the information will vary. My main objective is to categorize elements within this array into ...

javascriptarraysjsonsortingtypescript

Invert the order of the array in the JavaScript variable containing the JSON data

I have a JSON array stored in a variable in the following format: {"info": [ {"typeid": "877", "recid": "10", "repeaterid": "0", "pageid": "26966", "maxrecords": "1"}, {"typeid": "877", "recid": "11", "repeaterid": "0", "pageid": "26966", "maxrecords ...

javascriptjqueryarraysjson

Vue email validation is failing to return a valid email address

I'm relatively new to Vue and have implemented email validation using the reg expression in my Vue script data for this project. By utilizing console.log(this.reg.test(this.email)) and observing the output while users input their email, the validation ...

javascriptvue.jsemail-validation

What could be causing the error "Unexpected identifier 'trytoCatch' while trying to minify?

I recently updated my script.js and now I'm looking to use "minify" in Node.js to compress it. When I type the command minify script.js > script.min.js into the terminal, I get an error message that says: /node_modules/bin/minify.js:3 import "tryTo ...

javascriptnode.jsnpm

I am curious to know why my jQuery when().then() function is firing before the completion of the ajax request in the when clause

I have a situation where I need to set an async callback because a function is fetching content from a remote location. Here's what I am currently doing: $.when( priv[box.view.renderWith](content, box.view.gadget_id) ).then(function(late) { conso ...

javascriptjqueryajaxasynchronousdeferred

The processing indicator fails to function properly when trying to refresh a jQuery datatable

I am currently customizing the loading indicator for the datatable using a spinner called startLoadGlobal(SPINNER_DATA_TABLE_FINANCEIRO_CARREGAR_REGISTROS) in jQuery. It works correctly when I initially load the datatable, however, when I reload it, the sp ...

javascripthtmljqueryjquery-uidatatables

Using jQuery to submit data via POST method without having the page reload

I have a link in the footer that, when clicked, jumps to the header with a # in the address bar. Is there a way to prevent this and stay in the footer? Here is the code snippet: <a href="#" class="clickIn" id="1" attrIn="Like"><span style="color ...

javascriptjquerycssajax

Guide on detecting errors when parameters are not provided with req.params in Node.js

My question revolves around a piece of code that I have been working on. Here is the snippet: const express = require('express') const app = express() app.get('/test/:name', (req, res) => { const {name} = req.params; res.send(`P ...

javascriptnode.jsexpressparameters

Tips for disabling autofocus on Mui Menu Items

Incorporating a search functionality within a custom Mui Select component where the user can input a city or country to filter down the options list. The current issue is that when a user types a letter that matches the first letter of an option, the opt ...

javascriptreactjsmaterial-ui

Tips for preventing a React component from re-fetching data when navigating back using the browser button

In my React app using Next.js and the Next Link for routing, I have two pages set up: /product-list?year=2020 and /product-list/details?year=2020&month=4 Within the pages/product-list.js file, I am utilizing React router to grab the query parameter ye ...

javascriptreactjsroutesnext.js

Preserving form data using JavaScript exclusively upon submission

Hey there! I'm facing a little issue with a Form that has multiple checkboxes and a piece of JavaScript code designed to save the state of each checkbox when the user hits submit. My problem is that, currently, the checkbox state is being saved even i ...

phpjavascriptjqueryhtmlforms

Creating a default option in a Select tag with React when iterating over elements using the map method

After learning that each element in the dropdown must be given by the Option tag when using Select, I created an array of values for the dropdown: a = ['hai','hello','what'] To optimize my code, I wrote it in the following ...

javascriptreactjstypescript

Print out the data on the webpage that was sent via AJAX

I am currently working on a project where I need to create a web page that takes a number as input and searches for its corresponding name in the database. The challenge is to display the name on the page without reloading it. However, the problem is tha ...

javascriptphpjqueryajax

AngularJS: Issues with data retrieval in parallel in $http get requests within a $.each loop

Attempting to fetch data for multiple IDs is the goal: (Simplified version, aiming to clarify) Controller: var idList = [39,40,41]; $.each(idList, function(key, value){ var dataObject = { type: "test", id: value }; var getData = DataFactor ...

javascriptphpjqueryangularjsajax

Adding a line and text as a label to a rectangle in D3: A step-by-step guide

My current bar graph displays values for A, B, and C that fluctuate slightly in the data but follow a consistent trend, all being out of 100. https://i.stack.imgur.com/V8AWQ.png I'm facing issues adding lines with text to the center of each graph. A ...

javascriptcssd3.js

"Unlocking the Power of Colormap in JavaScript: A Comprehensive

I am in need of incorporating a colormap into my JavaScript page. My server side is powered by Flask, written in Python. To render colormaps on the client side, I have a JavaScript file that requires the colormap module (installed using "npm install colorm ...

javascriptnpmnpm-installjavascript-import

Deactivate toggle effect by clicking on a different link

My existing JavaScript code changes the background color of a link when it is clicked: $(".button").click(function(){ $(this).css('background-color', '#555'); }); While this functionality works, I am looking to have the color tog ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcsstoggle

Is there no "on" function available in the Node readline module?

I am currently working on building a Node.js application that reads a text file line by line using the 'readline' module and displays it in the console. var lineReader = require('readline'); lineReader.createInterface({ input: fs.cre ...

javascriptnode.jsmethodsmodulefilereader

The original items are not utilized by jquery-ui autocomplete

I currently have the following setup: class Team { constructor(data) { this.id = data && data.id || null this._title = data && data.title || null } get title() { return this._title } set title(v) { this ...

javascriptjqueryjquery-uijquery-ui-autocomplete