Is there any way to get milliseconds in CronJobs?

Question

I want to trigger a JavaScript function every 500ms using node cron jobs, though I couldn't find a way to make the cron execute any lower than a 1 second interval.

cron.schedule("*/1 * * * * *", function() {
    console.log("running a task every 1 second");
});

Is there any way to run a function every 500ms using node cron jobs?

If you need a task to occur that frequently, cron jobs are the wrong tool. — Skully, Nov 25 '21 at 06:06
Why not just use a Node.js [timer](https://nodejs.org/api/timers.html#timers)? — Skully, Nov 25 '21 at 06:08
I have posted an answer with an example on how to achieve this, let me know if it meets what you're trying to do. — Skully, Nov 25 '21 at 06:11

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 25 '21 at 06:11

Setting a cron job to execute that frequently is not possible, and for good reason - a task executing that frequently shouldn't be done using a cron.

Instead, you can use Timers with Node.js:

function myFunc(arg) {
    console.log("Argument received: " + arg);
}

setTimeout(myFunc, 500, "some message"); // Executes every 500ms.

Timers can also be instantiated into a variable:

const timeoutObject = setTimeout(() => {
    console.log("I will print every 500ms!");
}, 500);

clearTimeout(timeoutObject);

Is there any way to get milliseconds in CronJobs?

1 Answers1