August 2022 Summaries

Inngest has released language-agnostic, locally testable step functions that allow users to compose complex sequences of logic as DAGs without any infrastructure, queues, state, or configuration. These functions can be used for various purposes such as data pipelines, user journeys, managing webhooks, and complex queue pipelines. They enforce best practices common within traditional engineering by reducing complexity, increasing reliability, making steps reusable, and offloading unnecessary applications to improve API response times. Future plans include a step-over debugger built into the local CLI, Promise.all-like functionality, and an open-source library of reusable steps.

Inngest has released version 0.5.2 with new features, fixes, and improvements. Key updates include strict function rollbacks for easier restoration of previous versions, enhanced inngest init functionality to display all events seen when creating functions, and the ability to bypass questions via flags. The company encourages users to join their Discord server for discussions and feature suggestions.

Inngest has released a new feature called CLI Replays in v0.5.0 that allows developers to test their code against real production data before deployment. This helps avoid breaking changes and gives confidence when deploying minor fixes or large refactors. The replay feature can be used for zero-effort testing, protecting against breaking changes, and reproducing production issues locally. It is particularly useful during the development of new functions triggered by existing events. Inngest encourages users to share their experiences with CLI Replays on GitHub or Discord and join their Discord community to provide feedback and shape future features.

Load testing is crucial for ensuring the availability and scalability of event-driven message queues like Inngest. K6, a modern load testing tool written in Go, allows users to define small JavaScript-based tests, ramp up virtual users (VUs), and export results in various formats. By setting up services on real-world infrastructure and using external machines for testing, one can better understand the limitations of their systems. Inngest's cloud service offers a scalable solution for event-driven background functions with no setup required.