Temporal
Runs long-running app workflows that survive crashes and retry failed steps automatically.
- Stars
- 24.1k
- Forks
- 2.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
Temporal is a durable execution platform: the Temporal server runs units of application logic called Workflows so they keep going through intermittent failures, retrying failed operations as needed. Developers use it to build reliable multi-step applications without writing all the retry and recovery logic themselves. The README describes it as a fork of Uber's Cadence and developed by Temporal Technologies.
- Start a local development server with the temporal CLI and inspect workflows in the Web UI at localhost:8233
- Run the Go or Java sample projects against the local server to see workflows executing
- List namespaces and running workflows from the command line with the Temporal CLI
Great for
- Backend developers building multi-step processes that must finish reliably
- Teams building distributed microservice systems that need orchestration
- Developers who want to try a local workflow server quickly with the Temporal CLI
- Engineers evaluating open-source workflow engines written in Go
Not ideal for
- Simple scripts or one-off jobs, since the setup adds infrastructure for little gain
- Non-developers, because workflows are implemented in code using supported languages such as Go or Java
- Teams that cannot run and operate a stateful server, as the README covers running this repository as the server itself without detailing operations
How to get it
- 1
See the README
You'll need: Homebrew (for the brew install command shown in the README)
Install the Temporal CLI via Homebrew
brew install temporalStart the local development server
temporal server start-dev - 2
Run it
- Install the Temporal CLI with brew install temporal
- Start the local server with temporal server start-dev
- Open http://localhost:8233 to view the Web UI
- Run temporal workflow list in another terminal to query the server
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Clone the samples-go or samples-java repositories to see working Workflows and Activities
- Use the Web UI at localhost:8233 to watch sample workflows execute
- Read the Temporal 101 course linked in the README to learn the programming model
- Consult the architecture and testing docs in the repository if you plan to contribute
Downloads
Strengths
- The README says it handles intermittent failures and retries failed operations automatically
- Released under the MIT license with a public repository and documentation site
- Includes a local dev server, CLI, and Web UI to explore workflows
Trade-offs
- Requires learning its programming model of Workflows, Activities and Workers before it is useful
- The README is truncated and gives little detail on production deployment
- The repository is the server source; you still write application code in a supported language
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| temporal (this) | 24.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Backend developers building multi-step processes that must finish reliably |
| go-zero | 33.4k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | Go developers building REST APIs or microservices |
| act | 72.5k | Dev tool | intermediate | 5 days ago | Developers who edit .github/workflows files and want faster feedback than commit-and-push cycles |
| traefik | 65.4k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams running many microservices in Docker, Swarm, or Kubernetes |
| nsq | 25.8k | Other | intermediate | 3 months ago | Teams running backend services that need to pass many messages between components in real time |
| codis | 13.2k | Dev tool | advanced | 2.6 years ago | Teams running Redis that have outgrown a single server |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.