JavaScriptMedium
What is the difference between setTimeout(), setImmediate(), and process.nextTick()?
By FrontendPro Editorial Team Updated 8/8/2026
#JavaScript
Answer
setTimeout() schedules a callback to run after a minimum delay. setImmediate() schedules a callback to run after the current event loop completes. process.nextTick() schedules a callback to run before the next event loop iteration begins.
js
setTimeout(() => console.log("setTimeout"), 0);
setImmediate(() => console.log("setImmediate"));
process.nextTick(() => console.log("nextTick"));
In this example, process.nextTick() will execute first, followed by either setTimeout() or setImmediate() depending on the environment.
