iwf

iWF project - main & server repo

What is iWF

Indeed Workflow Framework(iWF) is a coding framework with service to streamlines workflows that involve waiting on external events, handling timeouts, and persisting state over long durations. With iWF, developers can build scalable, maintainable workflows that adapt to real-time events and integrate seamlessly with external systems.

What Makes iWF Unique

• Workflow-As-Code uses native code to define everything: branching, looping, parallel threads, variables, schema etc.
• Structured Programming provides well-orginized structure to maintain workflow that is natural and easy to read.
• Durable Timer provides timer that is durable, resilient to system failure.
• Automatic Retry the background execution units(WorkflowState) are inherently resilient to failure, with built in distributed backoff retry using durable timer.
• Simplified Architecture iWF applications are all REST based micro-services which are easy to deploy, monitor, scale, maintain(version) and operate with industry standards.
• Simplicity and explicitness of APIs uses as few concepts as possible to model complex logic. It uses clear abstractions to defines workflows in terms of discrete states, with waitUntil conditions and execute actions, declarative schema for data and search attributes for persistence, and RPC for external interaction for both read and write.
• Dynamic Interactions allows external applications to interact with running workflows through RPC, signals, and internal channels.
• Extensive tooling provides tooling to look up running state definitions, skipping timers, enhanced resetting etc.

Use case study/examples

• SAGA pattern
  • Java samples, Golang samples, Python samples
• User sign-up/registry in Python/Java
• Abstracted microservice orchestration in Java/Golang
• Employer & JobSeeker engagement in Java or Golang
• Subscription Workflow in Java or Golang
• Design Patterns

Basic concepts

• Basic concepts overview
• WorkflowState
• RPC
• Persistence

See more in iWF wiki.

How to use

As a coding framework, iWF provides three SDKs to use with:

• iWF Java SDK and samples
• iWF Golang SDK and samples
• iWF Python SDK and samples

The iWF SDKs required a server to run against. See below options to run the server locally. See iWF wiki for production

Using all-in-one docker image

This is the simplest option to run the server locally for development.

Run the docker command to start the container for:

• IWF service: http://localhost:8801/
• Temporal WebUI: http://localhost:8233/
• Temporal service: localhost:7233

docker pull iworkflowio/iwf-server-lite:latest && docker run -p 8801:8801 -p 7233:7233 -p 8233:8233 -e AUTO_FIX_WORKER_URL=host.docker.internal --add-host host.docker.internal:host-gateway -it iworkflowio/iwf-server-lite:latest

Using docker image & docker-compose

This option runs Temporal in separate container with slightly more power (more search attributes allowed).

Checkout this repo, and run:

docker pull iworkflowio/iwf-server:latest && docker-compose -f ./docker-compose/docker-compose.yml up

This by default will run Temporal server with it, again:

• IWF service: http://localhost:8801/
• Temporal WebUI: http://localhost:8233/
• Temporal service: localhost:7233

Production

Check the wiki.

Support

Join our Slack channel!

You can also post in our Discussion, or raise an issue.

Contributing

Check out our CONTRIBUTING page.

Posts & Articles & Reference

• Why I created Indeed Workflow Framework
• iWF on Temporal CodeExchange
• 14 “Modern” Backend Software Design Patterns with Indeed Workflow Framework(iWF) on Temporal
• iWF Overview for Temporal Users
• Build Reliable AI Agents with Indeed Workflow Framework on Temporal
• Cadence community spotlights
  • #1
  • #2
  • #3
• iWF is an abstracted Temporal framework. Same for Cadence.
• How ContinueAsNew is built in iWF