Inngest

Building reliable background workflows has never been easier thanks to Inngest. This smart developer platform changes how we handle complex operations by giving us durable step functions instead of managing queues and infrastructure.

Inngest is a San Francisco-based platform offering an event-driven workflow engine that processes functions and manages state automatically. Unlike traditional queue systems that require complex setup and maintenance, Inngest reads your code and handles everything for you with automatic retries, scheduling, and scaling.

Whether you need background jobs, AI workflows, or complex multi-step processes, this tool makes building reliable systems fast and simple. It's like having a smart infrastructure manager who handles all the complex workflow logic while you focus on writing business code.

Inngest is an event-driven durable execution platform built to run reliable, multi-step workflows on any platform without managing infrastructure. Think of it as a mix between traditional queues and modern serverless functions, but much better.

It uses step functions and incorporates real-time event processing, enabling developers to build complex workflows that can run for days or months with automatic error recovery. The main difference from regular workflow tools is simple: instead of setting up queues and managing state, you write normal code and Inngest handles all the infrastructure complexity.

Each step in your workflow automatically retries on failure and maintains state between executions, allowing you to easily build reliable systems. Founded in 2021, this tool has become popular because it eliminates infrastructure headaches and makes complex workflows easy. You can write functions in TypeScript, Python, or Go and deploy anywhere.

Using Inngest is simple and straightforward. First, visit Inngest and create a free account or start with their hobby plan. Install the SDK for your preferred language (TypeScript, Python, or Go) and set up the basic configuration in your existing codebase.

Here's how to get the best results:

• Write functions using step.run() for reliable operations

• Use events to trigger workflows across your application

• Add step.sleep() for delays and step.waitForEvent() for complex flows

• Leverage step.ai for AI workflows with built-in observability

• Deploy to any platform - serverless, servers, or edge

The platform works by connecting to your application through a simple HTTP endpoint. When events happen in your app, Inngest automatically executes the corresponding functions with full retry logic and state management. You can monitor everything through their dashboard with real-time logs, traces, and metrics.

For AI workflows, use their AgentKit for multi-agent systems and complex orchestration. The tool remembers function state across steps, so you can build sophisticated workflows without worrying about failures.

Inngest offers powerful features that make building reliable workflows effortless. It provides event-driven architecture that automatically triggers functions based on events, cron schedules, or webhooks. The platform includes durable execution with automatic retries, state management, and fault tolerance built-in.

Key features include:

• Step Functions: Break complex workflows into reliable, retriable steps

• AI Orchestration: AgentKit for building AI agents and multi-model workflows

• Multi-language Support: TypeScript, Python, and Go SDKs available

• Real-time Observability: Complete logs, traces, and metrics dashboard

• Concurrency Control: Multi-tenant aware queuing and throttling

• Event System: Powerful event routing and filtering capabilities

• Self-hosting Options: Deploy on your own infrastructure or use Inngest Cloud

The platform also offers advanced flow control including batching, rate limiting, and priority scheduling. AgentKit enables sophisticated AI workflows with memory, planning, and tool integration. Deep observability provides insights into every step execution, making debugging and monitoring straightforward across your entire workflow infrastructure.

Inngest offers flexible pricing plans that scale with your usage. The Hobby plan is completely free and includes 100,000 executions per month, perfect for getting started and small projects. After the free limit, you pay only $50 per million additional executions.

The Pro plan starts at $75 per month and includes higher execution limits, advanced features like granular metrics, increased scale and throughput, and extended trace retention. Pro users get priority support and enhanced monitoring capabilities.

For larger organizations, Enterprise pricing is available with custom terms. Enterprise includes SAML authentication, role-based access control (RBAC), audit trails, dedicated Slack support, and 90-day trace retention. Enterprise customers also get exportable observability data and service level agreements.

All plans include unlimited environments for development and staging, making it easy to test workflows before production deployment.