Node.js: long delay

Question

There is an event after which comes feedback on my server. I have to send a message to exactly one hour after the event.

I can use a setTimeout() but it seems it will not be good.

Perhaps it would be better if I start cron which will check the status of an event from database(such as every minute)

Does anyone know of a greater good option for the implementation of such a long delay?

Answer 1

If you require 100% reliability use a cron job. The problem with a cron job is that your code will be spread around the place and it would require configuration each time you set up a new server. An alternate approach would be to use an npm package like cron .

The issue with setTimeout() is that if your application crashes/restarts the future function call will be lost. However, each time your application starts, it could query the DB and see all missing timeouts and set them appropriately.