delay

Set the base delay between retry attempts.

Syntax

result = Module(args) with retry: N, delay: <duration>

Type: Duration (ms, s, min, h, d)

Description

The delay option specifies the wait time between retry attempts. It is typically used with retry and optionally with backoff to control how the delay changes over time.

Without backoff or with backoff: fixed, the delay remains constant. With other backoff strategies, the delay value serves as the base delay that gets modified.

delay requires retry

Using delay without retry has no effect and generates a compiler warning. The delay only applies between retry attempts, not before the initial execution.

Examples

Fixed Delay

result = FlakyService(input) with retry: 3, delay: 1s

Wait 1 second between each retry attempt.

Delay with Backoff

response = ApiCall(request) with
    retry: 5,
    delay: 500ms,
    backoff: exponential

Delays: 500ms, 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s (exponential increase).

Short Delay for Fast Retries

cached = GetFromCache(key) with retry: 2, delay: 50ms

Quick retries for transient cache misses.

Delay Without Retry

# Warning: delay has no effect without retry
result = Operation(data) with delay: 1s

This generates a compiler warning since delay only applies between retries.

Behavior

1. First attempt executes immediately
2. If the attempt fails and retries remain:
   • Wait for the computed delay (based on delay and backoff)
   • Execute the next attempt
3. Continue until success or retries exhausted

Delay Calculation with Backoff

Strategy	Formula	Example (base: 1s)
fixed	constant	1s, 1s, 1s, 1s
linear	N × delay	1s, 2s, 3s, 4s
exponential	2^(N-1) × delay	1s, 2s, 4s, 8s

Note: Exponential backoff is capped at 30 seconds maximum.

Duration Units

Unit	Suffix	Example
Milliseconds	ms	100ms, 500ms
Seconds	s	1s, 5s
Minutes	min	1min
Hours	h	1h
Days	d	1d

Related Options

• retry - Required for delay to have effect
• backoff - How delay changes over retries
• timeout - Time limit per attempt

Diagnostics

Warning	Cause
delay without retry	Delay has no effect without retry option

Best Practices

• Start with short delays (100ms-1s)
• Use exponential backoff for rate-limited services
• Consider service recovery time when setting delays
• Balance retry speed against server load