Scheduled functions

A scheduled function runs an existing edge function automatically on a cron schedule. It is the light-weight scheduling option: instead of spinning up a container, PandaStack invokes your function on the same microVM runtime it uses for on-demand HTTP calls, and each run lands in the function’s normal invocation history.

Scheduled functions vs. cronjobs

PandaStack has two ways to run something on a schedule. Pick based on whether you already have a function or need a full container.

	Scheduled function	Cronjob
What runs	An existing edge function	A container built from a repo, or a public image
Runtime	fn-invoker microVM (no container)	Kubernetes `CronJob` (a fresh pod per run)
Weight	Light	Heavy
Run history	The function’s invocation history	Dedicated cronjob execution records
Setup	Point a schedule at a function you already deployed	Define source, language, build/start commands or image

Use a scheduled function when the work is small and you have already written it as a function. Use a cronjob when you need a full build environment, arbitrary languages, or a public container image.

The schedule

Scheduled functions use a 5-field cron expression plus a timezone.

Part	Details
`cronSchedule`	5 fields: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week. Max 120 chars. Example: `/5 * * *` (every 5 minutes).
`timezone`	IANA timezone string; defaults to `UTC`. Max 64 chars.

The cron expression is validated by actually parsing it with cron-parser — impossible fields (for example, minute 99) are rejected at create time with a bad_request error, not silently accepted.

How execution works

The scheduler owns execution: it computes the next run, invokes the target function when the tick arrives, and records the outcome. The API use-cases own CRUD and the next_run_at bookkeeping.

Enabling a schedule computes and stores the next run time ahead of time.
Disabling a schedule clears the next run time, so it stops firing.
Each run is a normal function invocation, so it appears in the function’s invocation history and contributes to its metrics.

Fields

Field	Type	Default	Notes
`name`	string	—	1–63 chars, RFC-1123 label (`^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?$`).
`function`	number \| string	—	The target function, by numeric id or by name.
`cronSchedule`	string	—	5-field cron, 1–120 chars.
`timezone`	string	`UTC`	IANA timezone, 1–64 chars.
`enabled`	boolean	`true`	Enabling schedules the next run; disabling clears it.
`params`	object	`{}`	Params passed to the function on each run.

Run tracking

Each scheduled function tracks its own run state, independent of the underlying function:

Field	Meaning
`lastRunAt`	When the schedule last fired.
`nextRunAt`	When it will next fire (null when disabled).
`lastStatus`	Outcome of the most recent run.
`lastError`	Error message from the most recent failed run, if any.
`totalRuns`	Total number of runs so far.

Example schedule

*/5 * * * *      # every 5 minutes
0 * * * *        # top of every hour
0 9 * * 1-5      # 09:00 on weekdays

Combine any of these with a timezone (for example America/New_York) to run in local time.

Edge functions — deploy the function you want to schedule.
Cronjobs — the container-based scheduled-job option.
Functions API reference — scheduled-function endpoints and schemas.

Scheduled functions