Show HN: Hatchet – Open-source distributed task queue (github.com)

Article summary

Hatchet is an open-source platform for orchestrating background tasks, AI agents, and durable workflows at scale. It supports applications written in multiple languages and provides features such as automatic retries, real-time monitoring, and logging. Hatchet can be used as a service through Hatchet Cloud or self-hosted. The platform aims to provide a full solution for queuing, durability, and observability.

Main themes

• Task Queue
• Distributed Systems
• Workflow Orchestration
• Observability
• Self-Hosting
• Cloud Services

What commenters say

• Hatchet's durability features, such as persisting the history of all executions, make it a reliable choice for building complex workflows.
• The use of PostgreSQL as a durability layer provides an advantage over traditional task queues that trade off durability for throughput.
• Some users express concern about the added dependency of RabbitMQ and suggest using Postgres's listen/notify feature instead.
• Hatchet's architecture and design choices, such as using a separate service for the engine, provide a different approach to task queue management compared to libraries like pg-boss.
• The platform's support for multiple languages and self-hosting capabilities make it an attractive option for teams with specific needs.
• Some users have experienced difficulties with other workflow orchestration tools, such as Temporal, and see Hatchet as a more suitable alternative.
• The importance of observability and monitoring in distributed systems is highlighted, with some users discussing their experiences with tools like OpenTelemetry and Grafana.
• The trade-offs between different design choices, such as using a message broker versus a database, are debated among commenters.