What are Workers in Computer Systems?

A worker is a process or thread that performs a specific task or set of tasks. In the context of computer systems, workers are typically used to perform background tasks or processes that are not critical to the main functioning of the system.

Workers can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:

1. Background processing: Workers can be used to perform long-running or resource-intensive tasks in the background, freeing up the main application thread to handle other tasks.
2. Asynchronous processing: Workers can be used to perform asynchronous operations, such as I/O or network requests, without blocking the main application thread.
3. Multi-threading: Workers can be used to create multiple threads within a single process, allowing for more efficient use of system resources and improved responsiveness.
4. Load balancing: Workers can be used to distribute workload across multiple processes or threads, improving system performance and scalability.
5. Task parallelism: Workers can be used to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, improving overall system throughput and efficiency.

In web development, workers are often used to handle long-running background tasks, such as image processing, video encoding, or data processing, while the main application thread handles user interactions and other critical tasks.