Question 1

What are the main approaches to run background tasks in Node.js?

Accepted Answer

There are three primary approaches: 1) Child Processes (child_process module) for CPU-intensive tasks 2) Worker Threads (worker_threads) for parallel JavaScript execution 3) Clustering (cluster module) for leveraging multi-core systems. Each has distinct use cases based on task type and performance requirements.

Question 2

When should I use worker_threads instead of child processes?

Accepted Answer

Use worker_threads when: • Tasks are I/O-intensive with async operations • Sharing memory buffers is required • Lower overhead is critical (threads share process memory) • You need lightweight concurrency. Use child_process for: • Running non-JS programs • Complete process isolation • Tasks requiring different environments.

Question 3

How can I manage recurring tasks in Node.js applications?

Accepted Answer

Implement recurring tasks using: • node-cron for cron-like scheduling • setInterval with cleanup handlers • BullMQ/Agenda for persistent job queues • AWS CloudWatch Events with Lambda triggers • PM2 programmatic scheduling for clustered environments. Always include error handling and overlapping job prevention.

Question 4

What are best practices for error handling in background tasks?

Accepted Answer

Critical practices include: • Implementing unhandledRejection/uncaughtException listeners • Using promise.catch() for async tasks • Setting process.exit() for unrecoverable errors • Implementing retry mechanisms with exponential backoff • Logging errors with context (task ID, timestamp) • Setting resource limits to prevent memory leaks • Monitoring process exit codes.

Question 5

How do I prevent memory leaks in long-running Node.js tasks?

Accepted Answer

Prevent leaks by: • Using --max-old-space-size to set memory limits • Implementing heap monitoring with process.memoryUsage() • Avoiding global variable accumulation • Using streams for large data processing • Setting timeouts for task execution • Running tasks in separate processes/workers • Performing regular load testing with profiling.

Question 6

What queue systems integrate best with Node.js for task management?

Accepted Answer

Top queue systems include: • BullMQ (Redis-based with prioritization) • RabbitMQ (AMQP protocol) • AWS SQS (managed cloud service) • Bee-Queue (lightweight Redis) • Agenda (MongoDB-based). Choose based on: delivery guarantees, persistence needs, throughput requirements, and existing infrastructure.

Question 7

How can I monitor and manage background tasks in production?

Accepted Answer

Implement: • PM2 process monitoring with custom metrics • Distributed tracing (OpenTelemetry) • Queue dashboard tools (Bull Board, RabbitMQ UI) • Custom health check endpoints • Alerting on task backlogs/failures • Log aggregation (ELK, Splunk) • Metrics collection (Prometheus/Grafana) • Automatic restart strategies for stuck tasks.

Question 8

What are the performance implications of worker threads vs clusters?

Accepted Answer

Worker Threads: • Lower memory overhead (shared process) • Faster communication via SharedArrayBuffer • Limited by Node.js instance resources. Clusters: • True multi-core utilization • Full process isolation (higher memory) • Better for maximizing CPU-bound tasks • Requires load balancing. Benchmark with realistic workloads to choose.

Question 9

How to implement graceful shutdown for background tasks?

Accepted Answer

Implement: 1) process.on('SIGTERM', ...) handlers 2) Task checkpointing for resumable jobs 3) Reject new tasks while shutting down 4) Set shutdown timeouts 5) Flush logs and close connections 6) Use async-exit-hook package 7) Send process readiness signals (Kubernetes SIGTERM handling). Always allow in-progress tasks to complete.

Tag: Server Tasks

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