Heartbeat Intervals
Heartbeat Intervals are predefined time durations that dictate how often an oracle must push a new price update to the blockchain. This mechanism ensures that the protocol has a "fresh" price to work with, even if market volatility is low.
If an update does not occur within the heartbeat window, the protocol can trigger a stale price alarm or pause operations. Setting the right heartbeat interval is a balancing act between gas costs and price accuracy.
A short heartbeat provides better accuracy but increases costs, while a long heartbeat saves money but increases the risk of stale price exploits. Heartbeat intervals are a fundamental configuration parameter in modern oracle networks, reflecting the protocol's risk appetite and economic design.