trigger.dev
Trigger.dev is an open-source TypeScript platform for building and deploying AI agents and long-running workflows without managing infrastructure. It provides built-in durability, retries, queues, observability, and elastic scaling, with options for cloud hosting or self-hosting.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | triggerdotdev/trigger.dev |
| Owner | triggerdotdev |
| Primary language | TypeScript |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 15.6k |
| Forks | 1.3k |
| Open issues | 392 |
| Latest release | v4.5.1 (2026-07-06) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev |
What trigger.dev is
TypeScript/JavaScript SDK enabling durable task execution with checkpointing, automatic retries, cron scheduling, real-time streaming, human-in-the-loop pauses, and customizable runtime environments. Supports deployment to managed cloud or self-hosted Docker/Kubernetes with no timeout constraints.
Get the trigger.dev source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev.gitcd trigger.dev# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- TypeScript/Node.js ecosystem required; not suitable for Python-first or polyglot teams without parallel language support.
- Self-hosting requires Docker or Kubernetes expertise; cloud version ties execution to Trigger.dev's infrastructure availability.
- Task payloads must be serializable (JSON-friendly); complex objects or circular references require custom serialization logic.
- Error handling and retry logic are framework-managed; developers must understand checkpointing semantics to avoid accidental state duplication.
- Cold start and warm-up behavior differs from traditional serverless; test task startup latency under production scale.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Strict Latency Requirements — If sub-second response times are critical, checkpointing and task resumption overhead may introduce unacceptable delays compared to lightweight in-process execution.
- Entirely Stateless Microservices — For purely synchronous request-response APIs without background job needs, Trigger.dev adds unnecessary complexity over traditional web frameworks.
- Existing Workflow Engine Investments — Teams heavily invested in Temporal, Airflow, or proprietary orchestration systems should evaluate migration costs and lock-in implications carefully.
- Closed-Source / No-OSS Policy — Organizations with strict prohibitions on OSS dependencies or that require non-Apache licensing may face procurement friction, even though Apache-2.0 permits commercial use.
License & commercial use
Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0). Permissive OSI-compliant license permitting commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution and liability disclaimer. No proprietary features locked behind the license.
Apache-2.0 explicitly permits commercial use of the open-source codebase. However, the cloud-hosted version (trigger.dev) operates a SaaS commercial model; review pricing, SLAs, and data residency for production deployments. Self-hosting is permitted but requires operational overhead. No restrictions found in the license text for building commercial products on top of Trigger.dev.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Strong |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Self-hosted deployments inherit Docker/Kubernetes security responsibilities. Cloud-hosted version's security posture is not detailed in provided data—requires review of SOC 2, encryption at rest/transit, access controls, and data isolation guarantees. No exploit disclosures or security advisories mentioned; assess CVE history independently.
Alternatives to consider
Temporal
Mature, language-agnostic workflow engine with strong durability guarantees; steeper operational complexity and steeper learning curve than Trigger.dev's TypeScript-first approach.
Apache Airflow
Python-native DAG orchestration for data pipelines and batch jobs; less suited for AI agents and real-time streaming use cases, but more established in data engineering ecosystems.
AWS Lambda + SQS/EventBridge
Managed serverless with 15-min timeout; simpler AWS ecosystem integration but requires custom durability/retry logic and lacks Trigger.dev's human-in-the-loop and streaming features.
Build on trigger.dev with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate Trigger.dev for your next agent or background job system. Start with the cloud version (free tier available) or explore self-hosting options. Review the architecture and pricing to ensure fit for your operational and compliance requirements.
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trigger.dev FAQ
Can I self-host Trigger.dev?
What languages are supported?
Is there a free tier for the cloud version?
How does checkpointing differ from traditional try-catch retries?
Software development & web development with DEV.co
Need help beyond evaluating trigger.dev? DEV.co is a software development agency offering software development services and web development for teams of every size. Our software developers and web developers build custom software, web applications, APIs, and mcp servers integrations — and maintain them long-term.
Ready to build durable AI workflows?
Evaluate Trigger.dev for your next agent or background job system. Start with the cloud version (free tier available) or explore self-hosting options. Review the architecture and pricing to ensure fit for your operational and compliance requirements.