nestjs-scheduling

name	nestjs-scheduling
description	Implement distributed cron jobs with Redis-based locking and BullMQ offloading in NestJS. Use when adding @Cron scheduled tasks, preventing duplicate runs across pods, or delegating heavy work to queue workers.
license	MIT
version	1.0.0
author	[Filippo De Silva](https://github.com/FilippoDeSilva)
tags	["nestjs","scheduling","cron","redis","bullmq","distributed-locking"]
metadata	{"triggers":{"files":["**/*.service.ts"],"keywords":["@Cron","CronExpression","ScheduleModule"]}}

Task Scheduling & Jobs

Priority: P1 (OPERATIONAL)

Workflow: Add Scheduled Task

1. Register ScheduleModule — Import ScheduleModule.forRoot() in AppModule.
2. Create cron handler — Decorate service method with @Cron(CronExpression.*).
3. Add distributed lock — Apply Redis lock decorator to prevent multi-pod duplication.
4. Offload heavy work — Push job IDs to BullMQ; let workers process them.
5. Wrap in try/catch — Uncaught exceptions in cron handlers crash entire Node process.
6. Verify — Test with 2+ instances to confirm only one acquires lock.

Problem & Solution

• Problem: @Cron() runs on every instance. In K8s with 3 pods, your "Daily Report" runs 3 times.
• Solution: Distributed Locking using Redis.
• Pattern: Using decorator to wrap cron method.
• Logic: SET resource_name my_random_value NX PX 30000 (Redis Atomic Set).

Cron Decorator Pattern

• Implementation:

See implementation examples

• Tools: Use nestjs-redlock or custom Redis wrapper via redlock library.

Cron-to-Queue Offload

See implementation examples

Job Robustness

• Isolation: Never perform heavy processing inside Cron handler.
• Pattern: Cron -> Push Job ID to Queue (BullMQ) -> Worker processes it.
• Why: Cron schedulers can get blocked by Event Loop; Workers scalable.
• Error Handling: Wrap ALL cron logic in try/catch. Uncaught exceptions in Cron job can crash entire Node process.

Anti-Patterns

• No unguarded cron logic: Always wrap in try/catch; uncaught exceptions crash entire Node process.
• No direct cron processing: Push to BullMQ queue; workers scalable, cron handlers not.
• No bare @Cron in multi-pod: Use distributed locking (redlock) to prevent duplicate concurrent runs.