Why Workflow State Should Live in the Same Database as Your Application Data
By
KraftyOne
Summary
The article argues that workflow systems should not just use Postgres as a backend, but should actually co-locate workflow state inside the same Postgres database as application data. This enables powerful distributed systems benefits like transactional consistency, simplified idempotency, and atomicity for workflow tasks. The author challenges the conventional wisdom of separating concerns, making the case that co-location is a superpower in distributed systems.
Source
Hacker NewsWhy Workflow State Should Live in the Same Database as Your Application Datadbos.devKey quotes
· 3 pulledWe didn't just mean you should use a workflow engine that stores state in Postgres. We meant your workflow system can, and often should, live inside the same Postgres database as your application.
In distributed systems, co-location is a superpower.
When workflow metadata and application data live in the same Postgres database, they can be updated in the same database transaction, which simplifies tough problems like workflow task idempotency and atomicity.
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