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Baker is a scheduled action service that executes device actions on cron schedules, enabling automated device management and recurring tasks.

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Overview

Baker uses the cronbake library to manage scheduled actions, allowing you to automate device operations like reboots, cleanups, health checks, and custom scripts on flexible time schedules.

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Configuration

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Docker Compose

baker:
  image: ghcr.io/skylineagle/joystick/baker:latest
  platform: linux/amd64
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    - PORT=3000
    - STREAM_API_URL=http://host.docker.internal:9997
    - POCKETBASE_URL=http://pocketbase:8090
    - JOYSTICK_API_URL=http://joystick:8000
  depends_on:
    pocketbase:
      condition: service_healthy
    mediamtx:
      condition: service_started
  networks:
    - app-network

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Environment variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
PORTService port3000
STREAM_API_URLMediaMTX API endpointRequired
POCKETBASE_URLPocketBase connection URLRequired
JOYSTICK_API_URLJoystick service URLRequired

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Dependencies

Baker uses the following key dependencies: 
{
  "@joystick/core": "workspace:*",
  "cronbake": "^0.1.2",
  "elysia": "^1.3.5",
  "pocketbase": "^0.25.2",
  "@elysiajs/cors": "^1.3.3",
  "@elysiajs/swagger": "^1.3.0"
}

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Features

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Cron-based scheduling

Schedule actions using standard cron expressions:
  • Minute precision - Run tasks at specific minutes
  • Hourly schedules - Execute tasks every hour or at specific hours
  • Daily schedules - Run tasks at specific times each day
  • Weekly schedules - Execute on specific days of the week
  • Monthly schedules - Run on specific dates

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Action execution

Baker executes actions via the Joystick API:
  • Device actions - Run any configured device action
  • Parameter support - Pass parameters to actions
  • Error handling - Log failures and retry logic
  • Execution history - Track scheduled action runs

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Cron expression format

Baker uses standard cron format: 
┌───────────── minute (0 - 59)
│ ┌───────────── hour (0 - 23)
│ │ ┌───────────── day of month (1 - 31)
│ │ │ ┌───────────── month (1 - 12)
│ │ │ │ ┌───────────── day of week (0 - 6) (Sunday to Saturday)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

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Common examples

# Every minute
* * * * *

# Every hour at minute 0
0 * * * *

# Every day at 2:30 AM
30 2 * * *

# Every Monday at 9:00 AM
0 9 * * 1

# First day of every month at midnight
0 0 1 * *

# Every 15 minutes
*/15 * * * *

# Weekdays at 6:00 PM
0 18 * * 1-5

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Use cases

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Daily device reboot

Reboot devices every day at 3 AM: 
{
  "name": "Daily reboot",
  "deviceId": "device123",
  "actionName": "reboot",
  "schedule": "0 3 * * *",
  "enabled": true
}

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Periodic cleanup

Clean up old files every 6 hours: 
{
  "name": "Cleanup old files",
  "deviceId": "device123",
  "actionName": "cleanup",
  "schedule": "0 */6 * * *",
  "enabled": true
}

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Weekly health check

Run comprehensive health check every Sunday: 
{
  "name": "Weekly health check",
  "deviceId": "device123",
  "actionName": "health-check",
  "schedule": "0 0 * * 0",
  "enabled": true
}

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Hourly status update

Update device status every hour: 
{
  "name": "Hourly status",
  "deviceId": "device123",
  "actionName": "update-status",
  "schedule": "0 * * * *",
  "enabled": true
}

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Integration with Joystick

Baker executes actions by making API calls to Joystick: 
const response = await fetch(
  `${JOYSTICK_API_URL}/api/run/${deviceId}/${actionName}`,
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'X-API-Key': API_KEY
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(parameters)
  }
);

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PocketBase integration

Baker is typically called by PocketBase hooks when specific events occur: 
// Example: Call baker when schedule created/updated
const bakerUrl = process.env.BAKER_URL;
await fetch(`${bakerUrl}/api/schedules/sync`, {
  method: 'POST'
});

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Logging and monitoring

Baker provides logging for scheduled executions: 
logger.info({ deviceId, actionName, schedule }, 'Executing scheduled action');
logger.error({ deviceId, actionName, error }, 'Scheduled action failed');

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Error handling

Baker handles various error scenarios:
  • Device offline - Logs error, may retry based on configuration
  • Action not found - Logs error, disables schedule
  • Invalid parameters - Logs validation error
  • Network errors - Retries with backoff

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API endpoints

While Baker primarily works via PocketBase integration, it exposes endpoints for management:

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Sync schedules

POST /api/schedules/sync
Sync schedules from PocketBase.

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List active schedules

GET /api/schedules
Get all active schedules.

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Trigger schedule manually

POST /api/schedules/:id/trigger
Manually trigger a scheduled action.

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Health check

GET /api/health
Get service health status.

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Best practices

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Avoid overlapping executions

Ensure actions complete before the next scheduled run: 
{
  "schedule": "0 */6 * * *",
  "comment": "Run every 6 hours to avoid overlap"
}

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Use appropriate intervals

Don’t over-schedule resource-intensive tasks: 
# Good: Hourly cleanup
0 * * * *

# Bad: Every minute cleanup (too frequent)
* * * * *

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Consider timezone

Baker uses the system timezone. Document your schedules: 
{
  "schedule": "0 3 * * *",
  "timezone": "UTC",
  "comment": "Runs at 3 AM UTC"
}

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Enable/disable schedules

Use the enabled flag for temporary suspension: 
{
  "enabled": false,
  "comment": "Disabled during maintenance"
}

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Troubleshooting

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Schedule not executing

  • Verify cron expression is valid
  • Check enabled flag is true
  • Review Baker service logs
  • Ensure Joystick API is accessible

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Actions failing

  • Verify device is online
  • Check action exists in PocketBase
  • Validate action parameters
  • Review Joystick service logs

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Performance issues

  • Reduce schedule frequency
  • Stagger multiple device schedules
  • Monitor resource usage
  • Optimize action execution time

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Traefik routing

labels:
  - "traefik.enable=true"
  - "traefik.http.routers.baker.rule=Host(${HOST}) && PathPrefix(`/baker`)"
  - "traefik.http.middlewares.baker-strip.stripprefix.prefixes=/baker"
  - "traefik.http.routers.baker.middlewares=baker-strip,cors"

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