Build durable workflows with Postgres
15 days ago
- #Database
- #Postgres
- #Durable Workflows
- The critical architectural decision for building a durable workflows library was choosing the right data store for workflow metadata.
- Postgres was chosen for its technical features, including concurrency control, relational data model, and transaction support.
- Postgres concurrency control, especially locking clauses, enables scalable distributed queues by reducing contention among workers.
- The relational data model and secondary indexes in Postgres allow for performant observability tooling over workflow metadata.
- Postgres transactions enable exactly-once execution guarantees for steps performing database operations, improving reliability.
- Building scalable queues in Postgres involves using locking clauses to prevent contention among workers, allowing high throughput.
- Observability in durable workflows is enhanced by Postgres's ability to run complex queries over workflow metadata efficiently.
- Secondary indexes in Postgres are used selectively to balance query performance and runtime overhead for observability.
- Exactly-once semantics are achieved by executing steps and their checkpoints within the same Postgres transaction.
- DBOS offers resources for those interested in durable workflows, including a quickstart guide and GitHub repository.