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.

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