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BullMQ is the modern successor of the popular Bull library. It’s built by the same team but offers better TypeScript support, performance, and compatibility with modern Redis versions.
To get started, install the required packages:
npm install bullmq ioredis
Ensure Redis is running on your local system:
redis-server
BullMQ uses ioredis for connecting with Redis. Let’s define a shared Redis connection file:
// redisClient.js
import { Redis } from "ioredis";
const connection = new Redis({
host: "127.0.0.1",
port: 6379,
});
export default connection;
Create a BullMQ queue to add jobs. Each queue is connected to Redis through the shared connection.
// emailQueue.js
import { Queue } from "bullmq";
import connection from "./redisClient.js";
const emailQueue = new Queue("emailQueue", { connection });
export default emailQueue;
Jobs can be added to the queue from any part of your app — routes, controllers, or scripts.
// addJob.js
import emailQueue from "./emailQueue.js";
// Queue mein job add karna
await emailQueue.add("sendEmail", {
to: "user45@example.com",
subject: "Welcome to BullMQ!",
body: "This email is processed in the background.",
});
Each job is stored in Redis until a worker picks it up for processing.
A Worker listens for new jobs in Redis and processes them asynchronously.
// worker.js
import { Worker } from "bullmq";
import connection from "./redisClient.js";
const worker = new Worker("emailQueue", async (job) => {
const { to, subject, body } = job.data;
console.log(`📨 Sending email to ${to}...`);
// Simulate delay
await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 2000));
console.log(`✅ Email sent successfully to ${to}`);
}, { connection });
worker.on("completed", (job) => {
console.log(`🎉 Job ${job.id} completed`);
});
worker.on("failed", (job, err) => {
console.error(`❌ Job ${job.id} failed:`, err.message);
});
Run the following scripts in separate terminals:
node addJob.js
node worker.js
The first script adds jobs, while the second processes them from Redis in real-time.
BullMQ also provides a QueueScheduler to handle delayed or retried jobs:
// scheduler.js
import { QueueScheduler } from "bullmq";
import connection from "./redisClient.js";
new QueueScheduler("emailQueue", { connection });
console.log("🕒 Scheduler is running...");
The scheduler ensures delayed jobs and retries are managed correctly.
For job visualization, you can use Arena or Bull Board:
npm install @bull-board/express
Add the dashboard route in your app:
import express from "express";
import { router, setQueues } from "@bull-board/express";
import { BullMQAdapter } from "@bull-board/api/bullMQAdapter.js";
import emailQueue from "./emailQueue.js";
const app = express();
setQueues([new BullMQAdapter(emailQueue)]);
app.use("/admin/queues", router);
app.listen(3000, () =>
console.log("Dashboard running on http://localhost:3000/admin/queues")
);
🚀 BullMQ is the most reliable and modern way to manage background jobs in Node.js. It’s fast, scalable, and integrates perfectly with Redis for high-performance task processing.