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ArchitectureComparison

Inngest vs Trigger.dev

Comparing Inngest and Trigger.dev - workflow orchestration, background jobs, and event-driven architectures

Inngest vs Trigger.dev

A comparison of two popular TypeScript-first workflow orchestration and background job platforms for modern applications.

Overview

FeatureInngestTrigger.dev
Initial Release2021 (~5 years)2023 (~3 years)
Core PhilosophyEvent-driven workflowsBackground jobs & tasks
ArchitectureHTTP webhook-basedCheckpoint-resume system
Primary LanguageTypeScript, Python, GoTypeScript
RuntimeServerless-firstLong-running tasks
Open SourceYes (SSPL / Apache 2.0 DOSP)Yes (fully open source)
Self-HostingYes (single-node)Yes

Core Concepts

Inngest

Inngest is built on a purely event-driven model. Everything is triggered by an event, removing the need for developers to manage queues or worker processes.

import { Inngest } from "inngest";

const inngest = new Inngest({ id: "my-app" });

// Define a function triggered by an event
export const processOrder = inngest.createFunction(
  { id: "process-order" },
  { event: "order/created" },
  async ({ event, step }) => {
    // Step 1: Validate order
    const validated = await step.run("validate-order", async () => {
      return validateOrder(event.data.orderId);
    });

    // Step 2: Process payment
    const payment = await step.run("process-payment", async () => {
      return processPayment(validated.orderId, validated.amount);
    });

    // Step 3: Send confirmation
    await step.run("send-confirmation", async () => {
      return sendEmail(event.data.email, payment.receiptUrl);
    });
  }
);

// Send an event to trigger the function
await inngest.send({
  name: "order/created",
  data: { orderId: "123", email: "user@example.com" }
});

Trigger.dev

Trigger.dev focuses on background tasks with a checkpoint-resume system that enables long-running operations without timeouts.

import { task } from "@trigger.dev/sdk/v3";

// Define a task
export const processOrder = task({
  id: "process-order",
  retry: {
    maxAttempts: 3,
    minTimeoutInMs: 1000,
    maxTimeoutInMs: 10000,
  },
  run: async (payload: { orderId: string; email: string }) => {
    // Validate order
    const validated = await validateOrder(payload.orderId);

    // Process payment
    const payment = await processPayment(validated.orderId, validated.amount);

    // Send confirmation
    await sendEmail(payload.email, payment.receiptUrl);

    return { success: true, paymentId: payment.id };
  },
});

// Trigger the task
await processOrder.trigger({
  orderId: "123",
  email: "user@example.com"
});

Architecture Comparison

AspectInngestTrigger.dev
Execution ModelEvent → Function → StepsTask → Run → Subtasks
State ManagementStep results saved by platformCheckpoint-resume system
Retry MechanismPer-step retriesPer-task retries
Fan-out PatternNative (multiple functions per event)Via batch triggering
Connection TypeHTTP webhooksgRPC + HTTP

Durability Model

Inngest: Each step within a function is a durable, transactional unit. When retrying, completed steps are skipped and their results retrieved from saved state.

Trigger.dev: Uses a checkpoint-restore system that periodically saves task state, allowing seamless resume after failures or serverless timeouts.

Feature Comparison

Flow Control

FeatureInngestTrigger.dev
Concurrency Limits✅ Built-in✅ Built-in
Rate Limiting✅ Built-in✅ Built-in
Debouncing✅ Built-in❌ Manual
Prioritization✅ Built-in✅ Via queues
Idempotency✅ Built-in✅ Via idempotency keys
Scheduling (Cron)✅ Built-in✅ Built-in

Developer Experience

FeatureInngestTrigger.dev
Local Dev Server✅ Inngest Dev Server✅ Dev CLI
Dashboard✅ Web UI✅ Web UI
Real-time Monitoring✅ Realtime API
TypeScript Support✅ First-class✅ First-class
React Hooks✅ @trigger.dev/react
LLM Streaming✅ Built-in

Integrations

FeatureInngestTrigger.dev
Vercel✅ Marketplace✅ Preview branches
Next.js✅ Native✅ Native
AWS Lambda✅ Optimized✅ Supported
Cloudflare Workers✅ Supported⚠️ Limited
Datadog✅ Enterprise

Pricing Comparison

Inngest Pricing

PlanPriceSteps IncludedConcurrencyHistory
Free$0/mo50,000253 days
Team$50/mo100,000 (+$1/10K)1007 days
Startup$350/mo5,000,000 (+$5/200K)50014 days
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom90 days

Trigger.dev Pricing

PlanPriceUsage IncludedConcurrencyRetention
Free$0/mo$520 prod / 25 dev1 day
Hobby$10/mo$10257 days
Pro$50/mo$50100+30 days
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustomCustom

Note: Trigger.dev charges per compute time + invocation, while Inngest charges per step execution.

Self-Hosting

Inngest

  • Single-node deployment with single command
  • Uses SQLite by default, Postgres supported
  • Licensed under SSPL with Apache 2.0 DOSP
# Run self-hosted Inngest
docker run -p 8288:8288 inngest/inngest

Trigger.dev

  • Fully open source
  • Docker Compose or Kubernetes deployment
  • More complex setup but full feature parity
# Clone and run with Docker Compose
git clone https://github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev
docker compose up

Performance Characteristics

AspectInngestTrigger.dev
Cold StartMinimal (HTTP-based)Optimized (Dec 2025 update)
Max Execution TimeUnlimited (step-based)Unlimited (checkpoint-based)
Resource ConfigurationPlatform-managedConfigurable (vCPU, RAM)
Serverless Friendly✅ Designed for✅ Via checkpointing

Use Cases

Choose Inngest When

  • Building event-driven architectures with complex event chains
  • Need fan-out patterns (one event → multiple functions)
  • Deploying to serverless platforms (Vercel, AWS Lambda)
  • Want simpler mental model without managing workers
  • Building multi-language systems (TypeScript, Python, Go)
  • Need built-in flow control (debouncing, rate limiting)

Choose Trigger.dev When

  • Building long-running background jobs (video processing, AI tasks)
  • Need fine-grained resource control (CPU, memory configuration)
  • Want real-time updates in frontend (React hooks, Realtime API)
  • Building AI/LLM workflows with streaming support
  • Prefer fully open source licensing
  • Need human-in-the-loop workflows (waitpoints)

Code Comparison: Fan-out Pattern

One of the key architectural differences is how each platform handles fan-out (one event triggering multiple independent operations).

Inngest

Inngest natively supports fan-out through its event-driven model. Multiple functions can subscribe to the same event, and they execute independently when that event is sent.

// Send an event - the producer doesn't need to know who consumes it
await inngest.send({
  name: "order/placed",
  data: { orderId: "123", amount: 500 }
})

// Multiple functions can listen to the same event (fan-out)
inngest.createFunction(
  { id: "send-confirmation" },
  { event: "order/placed" },
  async ({ event }) => { /* Send confirmation email */ }
)

inngest.createFunction(
  { id: "update-inventory" },
  { event: "order/placed" },
  async ({ event }) => { /* Update inventory */ }
)

inngest.createFunction(
  { id: "notify-warehouse" },
  { event: "order/placed" },
  async ({ event }) => { /* Notify warehouse */ }
)

Trigger.dev

Trigger.dev requires explicit orchestration for fan-out patterns. You define individual tasks and manually trigger them in parallel.

// Define individual tasks
export const sendConfirmation = task({
  id: "send-confirmation",
  run: async ({ orderId, amount }) => { /* Send confirmation email */ }
})

export const updateInventory = task({
  id: "update-inventory",
  run: async ({ orderId, amount }) => { /* Update inventory */ }
})

export const notifyWarehouse = task({
  id: "notify-warehouse",
  run: async ({ orderId, amount }) => { /* Notify warehouse */ }
})

// Manual parallel triggering required
async function onOrderPlaced(orderId: string, amount: number) {
  await Promise.all([
    sendConfirmation.trigger({ orderId, amount }),
    updateInventory.trigger({ orderId, amount }),
    notifyWarehouse.trigger({ orderId, amount }),
  ])
}

Key Difference: Inngest decouples producers from consumers - the event sender doesn't know or care which functions will handle the event. In Trigger.dev, the caller must explicitly know and trigger each task, creating tighter coupling.

Code Comparison: Scheduled Tasks

Inngest

export const dailyReport = inngest.createFunction(
  { id: "daily-report" },
  { cron: "0 9 * * *" }, // Every day at 9 AM
  async ({ step }) => {
    const data = await step.run("fetch-data", async () => {
      return fetchAnalyticsData();
    });

    await step.run("generate-report", async () => {
      return generateReport(data);
    });

    await step.run("send-email", async () => {
      return sendReportEmail(data);
    });
  }
);

Trigger.dev

export const dailyReport = schedules.task({
  id: "daily-report",
  cron: "0 9 * * *", // Every day at 9 AM
  run: async () => {
    const data = await fetchAnalyticsData();
    const report = await generateReport(data);
    await sendReportEmail(report);

    return { success: true };
  },
});

Code Comparison: Retry & Error Handling

Inngest

export const riskyOperation = inngest.createFunction(
  {
    id: "risky-operation",
    retries: 5,
  },
  { event: "operation/start" },
  async ({ event, step }) => {
    // Each step has its own retry logic
    const result = await step.run("api-call", async () => {
      return callExternalAPI(event.data.id);
    });

    // Sleep between operations
    await step.sleep("wait-for-processing", "30s");

    await step.run("verify-result", async () => {
      return verifyAPIResult(result.id);
    });
  }
);

Trigger.dev

export const riskyOperation = task({
  id: "risky-operation",
  retry: {
    maxAttempts: 5,
    factor: 2,
    minTimeoutInMs: 1000,
    maxTimeoutInMs: 30000,
  },
  run: async (payload: { id: string }) => {
    const result = await callExternalAPI(payload.id);

    // Wait between operations
    await wait.for({ seconds: 30 });

    await verifyAPIResult(result.id);

    return { success: true };
  },
});

Summary

Best ForPlatform
Event-Driven ArchitectureInngest
Long-Running TasksTrigger.dev
Serverless DeploymentInngest
AI/LLM WorkflowsTrigger.dev
Multi-Language SupportInngest
Real-time Frontend UpdatesTrigger.dev
Flow Control (Rate Limit, Debounce)Inngest
Resource ConfigurationTrigger.dev
Self-Hosting SimplicityInngest
Open Source LicensingTrigger.dev

Both platforms excel at making workflow orchestration accessible to TypeScript developers. Inngest leans toward pure event-driven, serverless architectures with built-in flow control, while Trigger.dev focuses on long-running background jobs with excellent developer experience and AI workflow support.

Sources: Inngest Documentation, Trigger.dev Documentation, TypeScript Orchestration Guide, OpenAlternative Comparison

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