When Should You Use `setImmediate` vs `nextTick` in Node.js?

Understanding the Differences between setImmediate and nextTick in Node.js

With the release of Node.js version 0.10, a new function called setImmediate was introduced. As the documentation suggests, it should be used in situations where recursive nextTick calls are employed.

When to Use nextTick and setImmediate

The key distinction between these two functions lies in their position within the event loop queue. nextTick queues the given function at the head of the event queue, causing it to execute immediately after the current function completes. In contrast, setImmediate queues the function behind any pending I/O event callbacks.

Use nextTick:

• When you want the function to execute immediately after the current function.
• In scenarios where the function is lightweight and does not block I/O events.

Use setImmediate:

• When you want to break up long-running, CPU-bound jobs recursively.
• In situations where you want to ensure that I/O event callbacks are not blocked by pending recursive calls.

For example, if you are trying to break up a large CPU-bound task using recursion, you should use setImmediate for queuing the next iteration. This allows I/O event callbacks to execute in between iterations, preventing them from being blocked.

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