39 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
39 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Set Workflow Timeouts
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impact: CRITICAL
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impactDescription: Prevents workflows from running indefinitely
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tags: workflow, timeout, cancellation, duration
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---
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## Set Workflow Timeouts
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Set a timeout for a workflow by using Go's `context.WithTimeout` or `dbos.WithTimeout` on the DBOS context. When the timeout expires, the workflow and all its children are cancelled.
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**Incorrect (no timeout for potentially long workflow):**
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```go
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// No timeout - could run indefinitely
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handle, err := dbos.RunWorkflow(ctx, processTask, "data")
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```
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**Correct (with timeout):**
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```go
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// Create a context with a 5-minute timeout
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timedCtx, cancel := dbos.WithTimeout(ctx, 5*time.Minute)
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defer cancel()
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handle, err := dbos.RunWorkflow(timedCtx, processTask, "data")
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if err != nil {
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log.Fatal(err)
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}
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```
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Key timeout behaviors:
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- Timeouts are **start-to-completion**: the timeout begins when the workflow starts execution, not when it's enqueued
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- Timeouts are **durable**: they persist across restarts, so workflows can have very long timeouts (hours, days, weeks)
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- Cancellation happens at the **beginning of the next step** - the current step completes first
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- Cancelling a workflow also cancels all **child workflows**
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Reference: [Workflow Timeouts](https://docs.dbos.dev/golang/tutorials/workflow-tutorial#workflow-timeouts)
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