cron vs node-cron vs agenda vs later
Job Scheduling Libraries for Node.js Applications
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Job Scheduling Libraries for Node.js Applications

agenda, cron, later, and node-cron are all npm packages designed to schedule and execute recurring or delayed tasks in Node.js applications. They enable developers to run functions at specific times, on intervals, or according to complex schedules—commonly used for background jobs like sending emails, cleaning up data, or syncing external services. While they share the goal of time-based task execution, they differ significantly in architecture, persistence, scheduling syntax, and runtime requirements.

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cron4,515,0298,897161 kB192 months agoMIT
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later35,0742,420-9810 years agoMIT

Job Scheduling in Node.js: agenda vs cron vs later vs node-cron

When you need to run code at specific times—like sending a daily report or cleaning up stale sessions—you’ll likely reach for a job scheduler. The four packages compared here (agenda, cron, later, node-cron) all solve this problem, but with very different trade-offs around persistence, syntax, maintenance status, and runtime behavior. Let’s break down how they work in practice.

🗓️ Scheduling Syntax: Cron Expressions vs Natural Language

cron and node-cron both use standard cron syntax (e.g., '0 2 * * *' for “2 AM every day”). This is familiar to Unix users but can be hard to read for complex schedules.

// cron
const CronJob = require('cron').CronJob;
new CronJob('0 2 * * *', () => {
  console.log('Run at 2 AM');
}, null, true);

// node-cron
const cron = require('node-cron');
cron.schedule('0 2 * * *', () => {
  console.log('Run at 2 AM');
});

later uses a fluent, programmatic API to build schedules in plain JavaScript, making it more readable for non-cron experts.

// later (deprecated — do not use in new projects)
const later = require('later');
later.date.localTime();
const sched = later.parse.text('at 2:00 am');
later.setInterval(() => {
  console.log('Run at 2 AM');
}, sched);

agenda doesn’t use cron syntax directly. Instead, it accepts either cron strings or human-readable intervals like '3 minutes'.

// agenda
const agenda = new Agenda({ db: { address: 'mongodb://...' } });
agenda.define('daily report', async (job) => {
  console.log('Generating report');
});
await agenda.start();
await agenda.every('0 2 * * *', 'daily report'); // cron style
// or: await agenda.every('24 hours', 'daily report');

⚠️ Important: later is officially deprecated. Its npm page states: “This project is no longer maintained.” Avoid it in new code.

💾 Persistence: In-Memory vs Database-Backed

cron, node-cron, and later are in-memory schedulers. If your Node.js process crashes or restarts, scheduled jobs are lost. They’re fine for ephemeral tasks but risky for critical workflows.

agenda stores jobs in MongoDB, so schedules survive restarts. It also tracks job status (pending, running, failed), supports retries, and allows querying jobs via the database.

// With agenda, even after a restart:
await agenda.start();
// All previously scheduled jobs resume automatically

This makes agenda suitable for production systems where job reliability matters—like processing payments or sending user emails.

⚙️ Runtime Architecture: Embedded vs External Dependency

cron and node-cron are self-contained. They run entirely within your Node.js process using setTimeout/setInterval under the hood. No external services needed.

agenda requires a MongoDB connection. This adds operational complexity but enables features like distributed job locking (so multiple app instances don’t run the same job twice).

later is also self-contained but unmaintained.

🔁 Job Lifecycle and Control

Only agenda provides full job lifecycle management:

  • Define named job types
  • Pass data to jobs
  • Retry failed jobs with backoff
  • Limit concurrency per job type
  • Manually trigger or cancel jobs
// agenda: rich job control
agenda.define('send email', { priority: 'high', concurrency: 10 }, async (job) => {
  await sendEmail(job.attrs.data.to, job.attrs.data.subject);
});

await agenda.now('send email', { to: 'user@example.com', subject: 'Welcome!' });

In contrast, the other packages only support fire-and-forget callbacks:

// node-cron: no job context or data
cron.schedule('* * * * *', () => {
  // No access to job metadata or input
  doWork();
});

🛑 Error Handling

cron and node-cron will silently swallow unhandled errors in job callbacks unless you wrap them:

// node-cron: must handle errors manually
cron.schedule('* * * * *', () => {
  try {
    riskyOperation();
  } catch (err) {
    logger.error(err);
  }
});

agenda catches errors automatically and marks jobs as failed. You can listen for failures:

agenda.on('fail', (err, job) => {
  console.error(`Job ${job.attrs.name} failed:`, err);
});

🧪 Real-World Use Cases

Case 1: Daily Data Export (Must Survive Restarts)

  • ✅ Best choice: agenda
  • Why? Persistence ensures the export runs even if the server reboots overnight.

Case 2: Polling an API Every 5 Minutes (Ephemeral)

  • ✅ Best choice: node-cron or cron
  • Why? Simple, no persistence needed, low overhead.

Case 3: “Every weekday at 9 AM and 3 PM”

  • ✅ Best choice: cron or node-cron with '0 9,15 * * 1-5'
  • Avoid later due to deprecation.

Case 4: Processing User Uploads with Retries

  • ✅ Best choice: agenda
  • Why? Need retries, concurrency limits, and failure tracking.

📊 Summary Table

Featureagendacronlaternode-cron
Persistence✅ MongoDB❌ In-memory❌ In-memory❌ In-memory
Cron Syntax✅ (plus intervals)✅❌ (uses text parsing)✅
Maintenance Status✅ Actively maintained✅ Actively maintained❌ Deprecated✅ Actively maintained
Job Retries✅ Built-in❌ Manual❌ Manual❌ Manual
External Dep✅ MongoDB❌ None❌ None❌ None
Concurrency Control✅ Per job type❌ None❌ None❌ None

💡 Final Recommendation

  • Need reliability, retries, or job history? → Use agenda (accept the MongoDB dependency).
  • Running simple, non-critical timers? → Use node-cron (cleaner API) or cron (more mature).
  • Considering later? → Don’t. It’s deprecated. Rewrite schedules using cron syntax instead.

For most frontend teams building Node.js services, node-cron strikes the best balance of simplicity and functionality—unless you truly need durable jobs, in which case agenda is worth the extra setup.

How to Choose: cron vs node-cron vs agenda vs later
  • cron:

    Choose cron if you want a lightweight, battle-tested scheduler that supports standard cron syntax and runs entirely in memory. It’s well-suited for simple, time-based callbacks in scripts or services where job persistence isn’t required, but avoid it if you need guaranteed execution after crashes or complex recurrence rules beyond cron expressions.

  • node-cron:

    Choose node-cron if you prefer a minimal, zero-dependency scheduler that mimics Unix cron behavior with a clean API. It’s great for straightforward cron-style tasks in environments where simplicity and small footprint matter, but lacks job persistence, retry mechanisms, or advanced scheduling beyond standard cron fields.

  • agenda:

    Choose agenda if you need persistent, MongoDB-backed job scheduling with features like job retries, priorities, and concurrency control. It’s ideal for production systems where job durability and visibility matter—such as processing user notifications or batch exports—but requires a MongoDB instance and is heavier than in-memory alternatives.

  • later:

    Choose later if you need advanced, human-readable scheduling logic (e.g., 'every 2 hours between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays') without relying on cron syntax. However, note that later is deprecated and no longer maintained—do not use it in new projects. Existing users should migrate to alternatives like cron or node-cron.

Similar Npm Packages to cron

cron is a popular Node.js package that allows developers to schedule and manage recurring tasks using cron syntax. It provides a straightforward API for defining job schedules and executing tasks at specified intervals, making it an excellent choice for applications that require timed operations, such as sending emails, cleaning up databases, or performing regular data synchronization. With its robust features and ease of use, cron has become a go-to solution for task scheduling in Node.js applications.

However, there are several alternatives to cron that offer different features and capabilities:

  • agenda is a lightweight job scheduling library for Node.js that uses MongoDB as its backend for storing job data. It allows developers to define jobs with a flexible syntax and provides features such as job prioritization, delayed jobs, and recurring jobs. If your application already uses MongoDB and you need a more feature-rich scheduling solution, agenda is an excellent choice that integrates seamlessly with your existing database.
  • later is another scheduling library for Node.js that provides a more flexible and powerful way to define schedules. It allows developers to create complex schedules using a variety of formats, including cron-like syntax and more human-readable expressions. later is particularly useful for applications that require intricate scheduling logic, as it can handle a wide range of scheduling scenarios with ease.
  • node-cron is a simple and lightweight cron-like job scheduler for Node.js. It provides a straightforward API for scheduling tasks using cron syntax and is designed to be easy to use and integrate into existing applications. If you are looking for a minimalistic alternative to cron that still offers the core functionality of scheduling tasks, node-cron is a solid option.

To explore how these packages compare, check out the following link: Comparing agenda vs cron vs later vs node-cron.

Similar Npm Packages to node-cron

node-cron is a popular npm package that allows developers to schedule tasks in Node.js applications using cron syntax. It provides a simple and flexible way to run recurring jobs at specified intervals, making it ideal for tasks such as sending emails, cleaning up databases, or performing regular data processing. With its straightforward API, node-cron is easy to integrate into existing applications and can handle complex scheduling needs with ease.

However, there are several alternatives to node-cron that also provide task scheduling capabilities in Node.js. Here are a couple of notable options:

  • cron is a lightweight and flexible library for scheduling tasks in Node.js. It allows you to create cron jobs using a simple API and supports various scheduling patterns. The cron package is particularly useful for developers who prefer a more minimalistic approach to task scheduling without additional features that may not be necessary for their use case. It is a solid choice for those who need basic cron functionality without the overhead of more complex libraries.

  • node-schedule is another powerful scheduling library for Node.js that allows you to schedule jobs using both cron syntax and JavaScript Date objects. It provides a more advanced scheduling mechanism compared to node-cron, allowing for more complex scheduling scenarios, such as scheduling tasks based on specific dates or intervals. If your application requires more sophisticated scheduling capabilities, node-schedule is an excellent alternative to consider.

To see how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing cron vs node-cron vs node-schedule.

Similar Npm Packages to agenda

agenda is a job scheduling library for Node.js that allows developers to manage and execute background jobs easily. It is built on top of MongoDB, enabling persistent job storage and providing a flexible API for scheduling tasks. With agenda, you can define recurring jobs, manage job priorities, and handle job failures gracefully. This makes it a great choice for applications that require reliable job scheduling and processing.

While agenda is a powerful tool, there are several alternatives available in the Node.js ecosystem that also provide job scheduling capabilities. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:

  • bull is a robust queue and job scheduling library for Node.js that is built on Redis. It offers a rich set of features, including delayed jobs, job retries, and concurrency control. Bull is particularly well-suited for applications that need to handle a high volume of jobs or require advanced job management capabilities. Its performance and reliability make it a popular choice for developers looking to implement job queues in their applications.

  • node-schedule is a flexible job scheduling library for Node.js that allows you to schedule jobs using cron-like syntax. It is lightweight and easy to use, making it ideal for applications that require simple scheduling without the overhead of a persistent job store. Node-schedule is perfect for scenarios where you need to run tasks at specific intervals or times without the need for complex job management features.

To see how agenda compares with bull and node-schedule, check out the comparison: Comparing agenda vs bull vs node-schedule.

Similar Npm Packages to later

later is a scheduling library for JavaScript that allows developers to schedule tasks with ease. It provides a flexible and powerful way to define recurring events and manage time-based operations. While later is a great option for scheduling tasks, there are several alternatives in the Node.js ecosystem that also offer scheduling capabilities. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • agenda is a lightweight job scheduling library for Node.js that uses MongoDB as a backend. It allows you to define jobs and schedule them to run at specific times or intervals. Agenda is particularly useful for applications that require persistent job storage and management, making it an excellent choice for applications that need to handle background tasks or delayed jobs. With its simple API and built-in support for job retries and concurrency, agenda is a robust solution for task scheduling in Node.js applications.
  • cron is a popular library that allows you to schedule tasks using cron syntax. It provides a straightforward way to run tasks at specific times or intervals, similar to the Unix cron jobs. If you are familiar with cron syntax and need a simple way to schedule tasks in your Node.js application, the cron library is a great choice. Its lightweight nature and ease of use make it suitable for a variety of scheduling needs.
  • node-schedule is another flexible scheduling library for Node.js that allows you to schedule jobs using cron-like syntax or JavaScript Date objects. It provides a simple API for scheduling tasks and supports recurring jobs, making it a versatile option for various scheduling scenarios. If you need a library that combines the simplicity of cron syntax with the flexibility of JavaScript date handling, node-schedule is an excellent choice.

To see how later compares with agenda, cron, and node-schedule, check out the comparison: Comparing agenda vs cron vs later vs node-schedule.

README for cron

cron for Node.js logo
cron is a robust tool for running jobs (functions or commands) on schedules defined using the cron syntax.
Perfect for tasks like data backups, notifications, and many more!

Cron for Node.js

Version Monthly Downloads Build Status CodeQL Status Coverage Renovate OpenSSF Scorecard Discord

🌟 Features

  • execute a function whenever your scheduled job triggers
  • execute a job external to the javascript process (like a system command) using child_process
  • use a Date or Luxon DateTime object instead of cron syntax as the trigger for your callback
  • use an additional slot for seconds (leaving it off will default to 0 and match the Unix behavior)

🚀 Installation

npm install cron

Table of Contents

  1. Features
  2. Installation
  3. Migrating
  4. Basic Usage
  5. Cron Patterns
  6. API
  7. Gotchas
  8. Community
  9. Contributing
  10. Acknowledgements
  11. License

⬆ Migrating

v4 dropped Node v16 and renamed the job.running property:

Migrating from v3 to v4

Dropped Node version

Node v16 is no longer supported. Upgrade your Node installation to Node v18 or above

Property renamed and now read-only

You can no longer set the running property (now isActive). It is read-only. To start or stop a cron job, use job.start() and job.stop().

v3 introduced TypeScript and tighter Unix cron pattern alignment:

Migrating from v2 to v3

Month & day-of-week indexing changes

  • Month Indexing: Changed from 0-11 to 1-12. So you need to increment all numeric months by 1.

  • Day-of-Week Indexing: Support added for 7 as Sunday.

Adjustments in CronJob

  • The constructor no longer accepts an object as its first and only params. Use CronJob.from(argsObject) instead.
  • Callbacks are now called in the order they were registered.
  • nextDates(count?: number) now always returns an array (empty if no argument is provided). Use nextDate() instead for a single date.

Removed methods

  • removed job() method in favor of new CronJob(...args) / CronJob.from(argsObject)

  • removed time() method in favor of new CronTime()

🛠 Basic Usage

import { CronJob } from 'cron';

const job = new CronJob(
	'* * * * * *', // cronTime
	function () {
		console.log('You will see this message every second');
	}, // onTick
	null, // onComplete
	true, // start
	'America/Los_Angeles' // timeZone
);
// job.start() is optional here because of the fourth parameter set to true.

// equivalent job using the "from" static method, providing parameters as an object
const job = CronJob.from({
	cronTime: '* * * * * *',
	onTick: function () {
		console.log('You will see this message every second');
	},
	start: true,
	timeZone: 'America/Los_Angeles'
});

Note: In the first example above, the fourth parameter to CronJob() starts the job automatically. If not provided or set to falsy, you must explicitly start the job using job.start().

For more advanced examples, check the examples directory.

⏰ Cron Patterns

Cron patterns are the backbone of this library. Familiarize yourself with the syntax:

- `*` Asterisks: Any value
- `1-3,5` Ranges: Ranges and individual values
- `*/2` Steps: Every two units

Detailed patterns and explanations are available at crontab.org. The examples in the link have five fields, and 1 minute as the finest granularity, but our cron scheduling supports an enhanced format with six fields, allowing for second-level precision. Tools like crontab.guru can help in constructing patterns but remember to account for the seconds field.

Supported Ranges

Here's a quick reference to the UNIX Cron format this library uses, plus an added second field:

field          allowed values
-----          --------------
second         0-59
minute         0-59
hour           0-23
day of month   1-31
month          1-12 (or names, see below)
day of week    0-7 (0 or 7 is Sunday, or use names)

Names can also be used for the 'month' and 'day of week' fields. Use the first three letters of the particular day or month (case does not matter). Ranges and lists of names are allowed.
Examples: "mon,wed,fri", "jan-mar".

📖 API

Standalone Functions

  • sendAt: Indicates when a CronTime will execute (returns a Luxon DateTime object).

    import * as cron from 'cron';

const dt = cron.sendAt('0 0 * * *');
console.log(`The job would run at: ${dt.toISO()}`);

  • timeout: Indicates the number of milliseconds in the future at which a CronTime will execute (returns a number).

    import * as cron from 'cron';

const timeout = cron.timeout('0 0 * * *');
console.log(`The job would run in ${timeout}ms`);

  • validateCronExpression: Validates if a given cron expression is valid (returns an object with valid and error properties).

    import * as cron from 'cron';

const validation = cron.validateCronExpression('0 0 * * *');
console.log(`Is the cron expression valid? ${validation.valid}`);
if (!validation.valid) {
	console.error(`Validation error: ${validation.error}`);
}

CronJob Class

Constructor

constructor(cronTime, onTick, onComplete, start, timeZone, context, runOnInit, utcOffset, unrefTimeout, waitForCompletion, errorHandler, name, threshold):

  • cronTime: [REQUIRED] - The time to fire off your job. Can be cron syntax, a JS Date object or a Luxon DateTime object.

  • onTick: [REQUIRED] - Function to execute at the specified time. If an onComplete callback was provided, onTick will receive it as an argument.

  • onComplete: [OPTIONAL] - Invoked when the job is halted with job.stop(). It might also be triggered by onTick post its run.

  • start: [OPTIONAL] - Determines if the job should commence before constructor exit. Default is false.

  • timeZone: [OPTIONAL] - Sets the execution time zone. Default is local time. Check valid formats in the Luxon documentation.

  • context: [OPTIONAL] - Execution context for the onTick method.

  • runOnInit: [OPTIONAL] - Instantly triggers the onTick function post initialization. Default is false.

  • utcOffset: [OPTIONAL] - Specifies time zone offset in minutes. Cannot co-exist with timeZone.

  • unrefTimeout: [OPTIONAL] - Useful for controlling event loop behavior. More details here.

  • waitForCompletion: [OPTIONAL] - If true, no additional instances of the onTick callback function will run until the current onTick callback has completed. Any new scheduled executions that occur while the current callback is running will be skipped entirely. Default is false.

  • errorHandler: [OPTIONAL] - Function to handle any exceptions that occur in the onTick method.

  • name: [OPTIONAL] - Name of the job. Useful for identifying jobs in logs.

  • threshold: [OPTIONAL] - Threshold in ms to control whether to execute or skip missed execution deadlines caused by slow or busy hardware. Execution delays within threshold will be executed immediately, and otherwise will be skipped. In both cases a warning will be printed to the console with the job name and cron expression. See issue #962 for more information. Default is 250.

Methods

  • from (static): Create a new CronJob object providing arguments as an object. See argument names and descriptions above.

  • start: Initiates the job.

  • stop: Halts the job.

  • setTime: Modifies the time for the CronJob. Parameter must be a CronTime.

  • lastDate: Provides the last execution date.

  • nextDate: Indicates the subsequent date that will activate an onTick.

  • nextDates(count): Supplies an array of upcoming dates that will initiate an onTick.

  • fireOnTick: Allows modification of the onTick calling behavior.

  • addCallback: Permits addition of onTick callbacks.

Properties

  • isActive: [READ-ONLY] Indicates if a job is active (checking to see if the callback needs to be called).

  • isCallbackRunning: [READ-ONLY] Indicates if a callback is currently executing.

    const job = new CronJob('* * * * * *', async () => {
	console.log(job.isCallbackRunning); // true during callback execution
	await someAsyncTask();
	console.log(job.isCallbackRunning); // still true until callback completes
});

console.log(job.isCallbackRunning); // false
job.start();
console.log(job.isActive); // true
console.log(job.isCallbackRunning); // false

CronTime Class

Constructor

constructor(time, zone, utcOffset):

  • time: [REQUIRED] - The time to initiate your job. Accepts cron syntax or a JS Date object.

  • zone: [OPTIONAL] - Equivalent to timeZone from CronJob parameters.

  • utcOffset: [OPTIONAL] - Analogous to utcOffset from CronJob parameters.

💢 Gotchas

  • Both JS Date and Luxon DateTime objects don't guarantee millisecond precision due to computation delays. This module excludes millisecond precision for standard cron syntax but allows execution date specification through JS Date or Luxon DateTime objects. However, specifying a precise future execution time, such as adding a millisecond to the current time, may not always work due to these computation delays. It's observed that delays less than 4-5 ms might lead to inconsistencies. While we could limit all date granularity to seconds, we've chosen to allow greater precision but advise users of potential issues.

  • Using arrow functions for onTick binds them to the parent's this context. As a result, they won't have access to the cronjob's this context. You can read a little more in issue #47 (comment).

🤝 Community

Join the Discord server! Here you can discuss issues and get help in a more casual forum than GitHub.

🌍 Contributing

This project is looking for help! If you're interested in helping with the project, please take a look at our contributing documentation.

🐛 Submitting Bugs/Issues

Please have a look at our contributing documentation, it contains all the information you need to know before submitting an issue.

🙏 Acknowledgements

This is a community effort project. In the truest sense, this project started as an open source project from cron.js and grew into something else. Other people have contributed code, time, and oversight to the project. At this point there are too many to name here so we'll just say thanks.

Special thanks to Hiroki Horiuchi, Lundarl Gholoi and koooge for their work on the DefinitelyTyped typings before they were imported in v2.4.0.

⚖ License

MIT

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