Reference Guide

Zend Server Reference Manual
Jobs
Creating a Job
The Zend Server Job Queue component provides the ability to off-load script execution using Jobs. A Job
is in essence a command to execute a PHP script according to the specific parameters you give it. The
Job Queue component manages the timing and execution of jobs in the system.
Jobs can be created to facilitate a wide range of situations that require you to asynchronously run PHP
code. Here are a few examples:
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Action Based Jobs for backend activities which are not a part of the HTTP request-response
interaction with end users and need to be executed asynchronously.
Scheduled Jobs that are set to execute according to a predefined schedule.
One-time jobs that need to be run for any reason.
Improving website performance by offloading processes to a different server.
Optimizing long script execution by deferring running scripts to low peak times.
Unifying script usage by referring to a job script outside the application code instead of repeating
the same code for the same functionality. This also provides the added advantage of being able
to implement changes throughout the application be editing a single script (instead of editing each
individual instance of the script throughout the application's code).
Working with The Job Queue API
The Job Queue API is a set of functions that allow you to create, define and manage the execution of
PHP code using a job.
There are three types of Jobs you can create with the Job Queue API
Queued Jobs - triggered as a direct result of an end-user activity
Recurring Jobs - usually defined by the system's programmer. They are usually related to the
system's maintenance and are not triggered by an action made by an end-user. The most
common existing system to handle such jobs is cron which is usually a part of the operating
system on most UNIX-like systems.
One-Time Deferred Tasks (jobs) - usually a result of an end-user interaction, and may be
deferred in order to optimize the system's load (e.g. cleanup or report generation tasks may be
pushed to off-hours) but may also be a part of the application's business logic.