Transloadit

What is Batch Queue?

The Batch Queue is Transloadit’s shared processing lane for Encoding Jobs that do not need real-time handling. Jobs land there when an Import Robot ingests multiple files in one Assembly, or when a Step opts in with "queue": "batch" in its Assembly Instructions.

How Batch Queue works

The Batch Queue separates throughput-oriented media work from latency-sensitive processing. Import Steps that fetch multiple files are flagged as batch work automatically, while single-file imports stay in the Live Queue, and the per-Step queue setting only permits downgrades from live to batch, never upgrades. The processing operations themselves do not change; only when resources are assigned differs. Work exceeding a plan’s batch job slots trickles further into a Backup Queue and is re-enqueued as slots free, which is overflow handling rather than deliberate batching.

Key facts

  1. Queue placement changes scheduling priority rather than the meaning of an Assembly’s Instructions, so the same workflow can yield equivalent outputs after a longer wait.
  2. Backlog depth and job cost both affect completion time; counting queued Assemblies alone is a weak estimate when their file sizes and processing graphs differ.
  3. Downstream systems must use completion events or status checks instead of fixed delays, because capacity contention can make batch start and finish times variable.

When Batch Queue matters

Send delay-tolerant bulk work to the Batch Queue so it does not consume the Priority Job Slots that urgent jobs rely on. Because batch jobs are only taken when the shared Live Queue is empty, consumers must tolerate longer and less predictable completion times when scheduling downstream steps.

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