Software → Operating Systems
Scheduler
The operating system component that decides which process or thread should run next on the CPU.
Motivation
Scheduler solves the problem of allocating execution time or work across competing tasks.
Where it fits
Scheduler appears in operating systems, runtimes, job queues, and distributed systems.
Mental model
A scheduler chooses what runs next, where, and under what priority.
Common mistakes
- Assuming all schedulers optimize for the same thing.
- Ignoring fairness, latency, and throughput tradeoffs.
Related concepts
Scheduler connects to process scheduling, thread pool, job queue, Kubernetes, and batch processing.