OpenWorkflow

Roadmap

OpenWorkflow development roadmap and upcoming features

Roadmap

OpenWorkflow is in active development and moving quickly. This page outlines what's been completed and what's coming next.

Active Development

OpenWorkflow is currently in v0.1 and under active development. The core features are stable and production-ready, but we're continuously adding new capabilities based on community feedback.

Current Status: v0.1

The v0.1 release includes core functionality for building durable workflows:

βœ… Completed Features

  • PostgreSQL Backend - Full support for PostgreSQL as the state backend
  • Worker with Concurrency Control - Run multiple workflows simultaneously with configurable concurrency
  • Step Memoization & Retries - Automatic caching of completed steps and retry logic
  • Graceful Shutdown - Workers wait for in-flight workflows before stopping
  • Parallel Step Execution - Execute multiple steps concurrently with Promise.all
  • Type Safety - Full TypeScript support with generic input/output types
  • Deterministic Replay - Workflows resume from the last completed step after crashes

πŸ“ Current Limitations

Note on Tooling

The v0.1 release doesn't yet include a dashboard UI or CLI. For now, you can inspect workflow and step state directly in PostgreSQL (workflow_runs and step_attempts tables). A CLI and dashboard are planned for an upcoming release to make debugging and monitoring much easier.

Coming Soon

πŸ”§ Developer Tools

πŸ’»

CLI Tool

Command-line interface for managing workflows, inspecting runs, and debugging issues

πŸ“Š

Dashboard UI

Web-based dashboard for monitoring workflows, viewing execution history, and managing workers

Use Cases:

  • View all workflow runs and their statuses
  • Inspect step execution history
  • Retry failed workflows
  • Monitor worker health and performance
  • Debug workflow issues visually

πŸ”„ Workflow Management

  • Workflow Versioning - Deploy new workflow versions without breaking in-flight executions
  • Configurable Retry Policies - Fine-grained control over retry behavior per workflow or step
  • Signals for External Events - Send signals to running workflows to trigger actions
  • Workflow Cancellation - Gracefully cancel running workflows
  • Scheduled Workflows - Cron-like scheduling for recurring workflows
  • Workflow Timeouts - Set execution time limits per workflow

πŸ—„οΈ Additional Backends

Expand beyond PostgreSQL to support more infrastructure options:

  • Redis Backend - Lower latency for high-throughput workflows with built-in pub/sub
  • SQLite Backend - Zero-configuration local development and embedded deployments
  • DynamoDB Backend (Under Consideration) - Serverless-native workflow execution

🌍 Multi-Language SDKs

Expand OpenWorkflow to more programming languages:

  • Go SDK - Planned for idiomatic Go workflow development
  • Python SDK - Planned for Python developers and data science workflows
  • Rust SDK (Under Consideration) - High-performance workflow execution

πŸ” Enterprise Features

  • Audit Logging - Complete audit trail of all workflow executions
  • Role-Based Access Control - Fine-grained permissions for workflows and workers
  • Encryption at Rest - Encrypt sensitive workflow data in the database
  • Multi-Tenancy - Isolate workflows by tenant/customer
  • Observability - OpenTelemetry integration for tracing and metrics

How to Contribute

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

Check Existing Issues

Browse open issues on GitHub to see what's being worked on.

Propose New Features

Have an idea? Open a feature request to discuss it with the community.

Submit Pull Requests

Found a bug or want to implement a feature? Submit a PR! Check out our Contributing Guide.

Stay Updated

Feedback

Your feedback shapes the roadmap! If you have ideas for features or improvements:

  1. Open an issue on GitHub
  2. Join discussions about upcoming features
  3. Vote on features you'd like to see prioritized

Request Priority

Feature prioritization is based on:

  • Community demand - How many users request it
  • Impact - How much value it provides
  • Complexity - Implementation effort required
  • Alignment - Fit with OpenWorkflow's core philosophy

Version History

v0.1.0 (Current)

Released: January 2025

Core features for building production-ready durable workflows:

  • PostgreSQL backend
  • Worker-driven architecture
  • Step memoization
  • Graceful shutdown
  • Parallel execution
  • TypeScript support

Future Versions

  • v0.2.x - CLI and Dashboard UI
  • v0.3.x - Workflow versioning and signals
  • v0.4.x - Additional backends (Redis, SQLite)
  • v1.0.x - Multi-language SDKs and enterprise features

Next Steps