Scheduling overview

Choose process-local recurring triggers or durable Temporal execution by their reliability model.

When to use

Start here before choosing a Cron or Temporal connector.

Cron evaluates a schedule inside each running service process and emits values into an Input stream.
Temporal owns durable workers and clients; Sink submissions and optional schedules start Activity or Workflow executions.
A Temporal endpoint is explicitly an Activity or a Workflow.
Only values collected by an endpoint function enter the stream graph.

LocalCron tickEvaluated independently in every service instance.

CallbackSchedule functionReceives ScheduleTrigger and collects values.

GraphInput streamCollected values enter normal processing.

Use Cron for lightweight process-local periodic input.
Use Activity for retryable side effects and I/O.
Use Workflow for durable deterministic orchestration.
Use a Temporal Schedule when the trigger itself must be durable and cluster-level.

The datasource configures one Temporal Service connection. Each endpoint configures the durable execution registered on that connection.

Datasource: SDK implementation, address, namespace, identity, API key, TLS, and Worker shutdown timeout.
Endpoint: Activity or Workflow mode, Task Queue, Worker capacity, execution timeouts, retry attempts, optional Schedule, tracing, and generated function placement.
Endpoints with the same connector, Task Queue, and execution type contribute to one Worker capacity contract and therefore must agree on the corresponding limit.

Operational meaning of each option.

PropertyTypeDescription

Cronlocal scheduler

Process-local occurrence evaluation; replicas can each execute the same occurrence.

Temporal Activitydurable task

Retryable worker execution for side effects and external I/O.

Temporal Workflowdurable orchestration

Replay-safe coordination, durable timers, and state.

Temporal Scheduledurable trigger

Server-managed start of the configured Activity or Workflow endpoint.

Cron -> ScheduleEndpointFunction -> Input -> graph
Temporal Sink -> Activity or Workflow -> optional result