Using Go's `time.Ticker` for Periodic Tasks - Unexpected Skew in Timing
I'm converting an old project and After trying multiple solutions online, I still can't figure this out... I'm trying to use Go's `time.Ticker` to perform a task periodically. My expected interval is every 2 seconds, but I noticed that the actual intervals are becoming skewed over time. Here's the relevant code snippet: ```go package main import ( "fmt" "time" ) func main() { ticker := time.NewTicker(2 * time.Second) defer ticker.Stop() go func() { for t := range ticker.C { fmt.Println("Tick at:", t) time.Sleep(3 * time.Second) // Simulating a task that takes 3 seconds } }() time.Sleep(10 * time.Second) } ``` I expected to see ticks every 2 seconds, but instead, what I get is an increasing delay between ticks. The output looks like this: ``` Tick at: 2023-10-01 12:00:00.000000000 +0000 UTC Tick at: 2023-10-01 12:00:03.000000000 +0000 UTC Tick at: 2023-10-01 12:00:06.000000000 +0000 UTC ``` The 2-second interval quickly turns into a 5-second interval because the `time.Sleep(3 * time.Second)` inside the goroutine seems to block the tick receiver. I've considered using a `time.After` instead of a `time.Ticker`, but that would require me to manage the timing logic manually, which I would like to avoid. Is there a better way to handle this periodic task without the timing skew? How can I ensure that the ticks remain consistent? Any advice would be appreciated! This is part of a larger service I'm building. Any help would be greatly appreciated! What's the correct way to implement this? What are your experiences with this?