Fix Sidekiq::JobTimeout: Job exceeded timeout of 25 seconds in Sidekiq

This error occurs when a Sidekiq job takes longer than the configured timeout to complete. By default, Sidekiq Pro enforces a 25-second timeout per job. Optimize the job to run faster, increase the timeout for long-running jobs, or break the work into smaller jobs that each complete within the timeout window.

Reading the Stack Trace

Here's what each line means:

• sidekiq (7.2.1) lib/sidekiq/processor.rb:195:in `process': The Sidekiq processor kills the job after it exceeds the configured timeout.
• app/jobs/data_import_job.rb:28:in `perform': The data import job at line 28 is performing a long-running operation that exceeds 25 seconds.
• sidekiq (7.2.1) lib/sidekiq/processor.rb:130:in `process': The main processing loop where the timeout is enforced per job.

Common Causes

class DataImportJob
  include Sidekiq::Job

  def perform(file_path)
    CSV.foreach(file_path, headers: true) do |row|
      User.create!(row.to_h)  # Processes 100k rows in one job
    end
  end
end

class WebhookJob
  include Sidekiq::Job

  def perform(url, payload)
    response = Net::HTTP.post(URI(url), payload.to_json)  # No timeout set
  end
end

class ReportJob
  include Sidekiq::Job

  def perform
    orders = Order.where('created_at > ?', 1.year.ago)
    orders.each do |order|  # N+1: loads line_items per order
      order.line_items.sum(:total)
    end
  end
end

The Fix

Break the import into batches of 500 records using insert_all for bulk insertion. Each batch job enqueues the next batch, keeping each job well within the timeout. This pattern ensures no single job runs too long.

class DataImportJob
  include Sidekiq::Job

  def perform(file_path)
    CSV.foreach(file_path, headers: true) do |row|
      User.create!(row.to_h)
    end
  end
end

class DataImportJob
  include Sidekiq::Job
  sidekiq_options queue: :imports

  def perform(file_path, batch_start = 0, batch_size = 500)
    rows = CSV.read(file_path, headers: true)
    batch = rows[batch_start, batch_size]
    return if batch.nil? || batch.empty?

    User.insert_all(batch.map(&:to_h))

    next_start = batch_start + batch_size
    if next_start < rows.size
      DataImportJob.perform_async(file_path, next_start, batch_size)
    end
  end
end

Testing the Fix

require 'rails_helper'
require 'sidekiq/testing'

RSpec.describe DataImportJob do
  before { Sidekiq::Testing.fake! }

  it 'imports a batch of records' do
    file_path = Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures/files/users.csv')
    DataImportJob.perform_async(file_path.to_s, 0, 500)
    expect(DataImportJob.jobs.size).to eq(1)
  end

  it 'enqueues next batch when more rows exist' do
    Sidekiq::Testing.inline!
    file_path = Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures/files/large_users.csv')
    DataImportJob.perform_async(file_path.to_s, 0, 10)
    expect(User.count).to be > 0
  end
end

Run your tests:

bundle exec rspec spec/jobs/data_import_job_spec.rb

Pushing Through CI/CD

git checkout -b fix/sidekiq-job-timeout,git add app/jobs/data_import_job.rb,git commit -m "fix: batch data import job to prevent timeout",git push origin fix/sidekiq-job-timeout

Your CI config should look something like this:

name: CI
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      postgres:
        image: postgres:16
        env:
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
        ports: ['5432:5432']
      redis:
        image: redis:7
        ports: ['6379:6379']
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.3'
          bundler-cache: true
      - run: bin/rails db:setup
      - run: bundle exec rspec

The Full Manual Process: 18 Steps

Here's every step you just went through to fix this one bug:

1. Notice the error alert or see it in your monitoring tool
2. Open the error dashboard and read the stack trace
3. Identify the file and line number from the stack trace
4. Open your IDE and navigate to the file
5. Read the surrounding code to understand context
6. Reproduce the error locally
7. Identify the root cause
8. Write the fix
9. Run the test suite locally
10. Fix any failing tests
11. Write new tests covering the edge case
12. Run the full test suite again
13. Create a new git branch
14. Commit and push your changes
15. Open a pull request
16. Wait for code review
17. Merge and deploy to production
18. Monitor production to confirm the error is resolved

Total time: 30-60 minutes. For one bug.

gem install bugstack

require 'bugstack'

Bugstack.init(api_key: ENV['BUGSTACK_API_KEY'])

Deploying the Fix (Manual Path)

1. Refactor the job to process data in batches.
2. Add job specs verifying batch processing and chaining.
3. Monitor job duration in the Sidekiq dashboard.
4. Open a pull request.
5. Merge and verify job processing times in staging.

Frequently Asked Questions