What Does the Error "EMFILE: Too Many Open Files" in Scandir Mean?

This topic was automatically generated from Slack. You can find the original thread here.

what does this error mean

rror
EMFILE: too many open files, scandir ‘/tmp/pds

Error: EMFILE: too many open files, scandir '/tmp/__pds__'

The error EMFILE: too many open files, scandir '/tmp/__pds__' indicates that your Pipedream workflow has exceeded the maximum number of open file descriptors allowed by the system for a single process. This can happen if your code or a library you’re using tries to open too many files in the /tmp directory at once. Given the context of Pipedream’s environment, here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue: 1. Review your code for excessive file operations: If your workflow involves reading from or writing to a large number of files simultaneously, consider implementing a queue or batching mechanism to limit the number of files being processed at any given time. 2. Check for unclosed file descriptors: Ensure that for every file your workflow opens, it also properly closes. This is a common source of EMFILE errors. In Node.js, for example, every fs.open should have a corresponding fs.close. 3. Optimize your use of the /tmp directory: Remember that the /tmp directory has a storage limit as mentioned in the Pipedream documentation. Ensure you’re not storing large files unnecessarily or leaving behind files that are no longer needed. You might need to add cleanup logic to your workflow to delete temporary files once they are no longer needed. 4. Consider the limitations of third-party libraries: If you’re using a third-party library that handles file operations, it might not be optimized for the constraints of a serverless environment like Pipedream. Review the library’s documentation for any notes on resource usage or consider alternatives that are designed with serverless in mind. 5. Review Pipedream’s documentation on disk usage: Pipedream’s documentation notes that you have access to a limited amount of disk space in the /tmp directory, and this space may be wiped between workflow executions. While this is more related to storage capacity than the number of open files, being mindful of how your workflow uses disk space can help avoid issues. If after reviewing and applying these suggestions you’re still encountering the EMFILE error, it might be beneficial to reach out for more specific support. You can visit Support - Pipedream for more help.

But I am not using /tmp directory at all

Hey , is there a specific step that error is occurring? Happy to take a look

Is it a custom step or registry component?

I think I know what the issue is. I noticed you are importing the lodash package. I’ve seen this error before when importing the whole package

Could you try only importing the specific functions you’re using?

For example, if you’re using pick, import the following:
import pick from "lodash-es/pick.js"

And so on for all the other functions

ok got it will try and let you know if any further issue comes . Thank you

Awesome, thanks!