Ask HN: Low-code orchestration system / SaaS | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Low-code orchestration system / SaaS

16 pointsmybestaccount10 comments

Hi -

I'm launching a product that requires multiple different kinds of workflows (e.g. "Order fulfillment", "Contract Negotiation", etc...). And I'm looking for a product that can help me seamlessly manage the coordination of these workflows amongst my team, 3rd parties, and external customers.

The way I view it: I have some concept of an entity in my system (e.g. "an Order"), and any time one of those entities are created (e.g. "an Order is placed"), then some sequence of actions needs to be choreographed amongst my team, the customer, and 3rd parties. Currently I'm doing this using hacked together code, but it feels very brittle/hacked together.

I'm wondering if there is an "Orchestration system as a service" that can help me solve this. I've looked at things like Airflow, but it still seems too low-level. I'm looking for the equivalent of something like Algolia, Airflow, etc... i.e. a SaaS product. Kissflow seems interesting, but I'm hoping to have multiple options that I can evaluate before deciding.

I run Shipyard (https://shipyardapp.com), a SaaS platform to orchestrate workflows seamlessly with minimal code on your part. If I'm understanding your current setup and needs correctly, it sounds like we may be able to solve what you're looking for.

You can get started with our no-code templates or build your own using Python/Bash. We're higher level than Airflow, with visual workflow editors and a web-accessible platform (no hosting required), but still lower level than Zapier by enabling you to run heavy-duty custom scripts as needed.

On the off-chance that you're looking for tools that create workflows that require more manual intervention... you might want to look into Formstack, Quickbase, or Microsoft Power Automate alongside Kissflow.

Are you familiar with Zapier (https://zapier.com/) or IFTT (https://ifttt.com/)? These are the two solutions that came to mind for me after reading your question, though there may be a few other options out there in this space.

How far are you in building your product? Do it in Bubble (https://bubble.io/). Check it out and let me know what you think. I am not affiliated, just a fan.

If you use Slack, we're about to start beta for something that might help you out. Happy to share it with you. I'm not sure it will nail 100% of what you need today, but since we're building aggressively right now and are close, it could be a good time for both of us. My email is in my profile if you're interested!

Consider StackStorm - Platform : [https://stackstorm.com] - Integrations : [https://exchange.stackstorm.org]

I've never used it, however https://n8n.io/ looks quite nice - I also think it's a fellow HN'er (janober)

I've never used it, but https://nodered.org/ seems interesting.

Co-founder of seliom.com here. We do exactly what you described. Happy to give you a demo.

Temporal.io just came out with something

AWS Step functions seems good for something like this...

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