> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/kabbouchi/adonisjs-scheduler/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Defining schedules

> Learn how to define scheduled tasks using the scheduler service

You can define scheduled tasks in your AdonisJS application using the scheduler service. The scheduler allows you to schedule both Ace commands and custom callbacks to run at specified intervals.

## Importing the scheduler

Import the scheduler service in your `start/scheduler.ts` file:

```ts theme={null}
import scheduler from 'adonisjs-scheduler/services/main'
```

The scheduler service is automatically available after the package is configured and the application has booted.

## Scheduling commands

Use the `scheduler.command()` method to schedule Ace commands. You can schedule commands by their string name or by passing the command class directly.

### Scheduling by command name

```ts theme={null}
import scheduler from 'adonisjs-scheduler/services/main'

scheduler.command('inspire').everyFiveSeconds()
```

### Scheduling by command class

When scheduling by command class, you can also pass arguments to the command:

```ts theme={null}
import scheduler from 'adonisjs-scheduler/services/main'
import PurgeUsers from '#commands/purge_users'

scheduler.command(PurgeUsers, ['30 days']).everyFiveSeconds()
```

The second parameter accepts either a single string or an array of strings that will be passed as arguments to the command.

## Scheduling callbacks

Use the `scheduler.call()` method to schedule custom callback functions:

```ts theme={null}
import scheduler from 'adonisjs-scheduler/services/main'

scheduler
  .call(() => {
    console.log('Purge DB!')
  })
  .weekly()
```

Callbacks can be synchronous or asynchronous. The scheduler will await asynchronous callbacks before marking the task as complete.

## Chaining frequency methods

Both `scheduler.command()` and `scheduler.call()` return a schedule instance that you can chain with frequency methods to define when the task should run:

```ts theme={null}
scheduler.command('inspire').daily()
scheduler.call(() => console.log('Hello')).hourly()
scheduler.command(PurgeUsers, ['7 days']).everyMinute()
```

See the [schedule frequencies](/concepts/schedule-frequencies) documentation for a complete list of available frequency methods.

## Before and after callbacks

You can register callbacks to run before and after your scheduled tasks:

```ts theme={null}
scheduler
  .command('inspire')
  .everyMinute()
  .before(async () => {
    console.log('About to run inspire command')
  })
  .after(async () => {
    console.log('Inspire command completed')
  })
```

Both `before()` and `after()` methods accept asynchronous functions and will be awaited during execution.