How to create a custom activity in Wexflow?

Custom activities are developed as C# .NET libraries and packaged via NuGet. The Wexflow wiki provides guides on creating and installing these tasks, allowing you to extend functionality for specific automation scenarios, such as integrating with proprietary APIs.

Wexflow vs Apache Airflow for ETL workflows?

Wexflow excels in general system automation with a visual designer and cross-platform support, ideal for IT ops and file-based pipelines. Apache Airflow is better for complex data engineering DAGs with Python-centric workflows and extensive data tool integrations. Choose based on whether you need broad technical automation or specialized data orchestration.

Can Wexflow handle human approval workflows?

Wexflow supports approval workflows in its flowchart design, but it lacks built-in user forms or BPMN features for human interaction. You may need to integrate external systems or build custom activities to manage approvals, limiting its out-of-the-box capability for business processes.

Is Wexflow suitable for cloud automation without coding?

While Wexflow offers a visual designer, cloud automation often requires custom activities for services like AWS or Azure, which involve C# coding. It's better for on-premises or hybrid setups where you have control over systems, not for seamless cloud-native integration without development.

How to schedule a workflow in Wexflow?

Use the cron trigger in the web designer or configure it via the REST API with cron expressions. The dashboard allows setting up schedules visually, and you can combine it with file watchers or events for flexible automation based on time or file changes.

What databases does Wexflow support for logging?

Wexflow supports over six database engines, including SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, as mentioned in the features. This allows persistent storage for workflow states, logs, and configurations, but setup requires manual configuration in the settings.

How to monitor workflows in real-time with push notifications?

Wexflow uses Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time updates. Enable push notifications in the web dashboard to receive alerts on workflow job status without polling, and you can configure logging for detailed debugging and transparency.

Open-Awesome

Wexflow

MITC#v10.0

A cross-platform workflow automation engine for developers and sysadmins to automate file operations, system tasks, and scheduled jobs.

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835 stars192 forks0 contributors

What is Wexflow?

Wexflow is a workflow automation engine that automates technical tasks like file operations, system processes, scripting, and scheduled jobs. It provides a visual designer, extensible activity library, and cross-platform support to streamline back-office automation, ETL pipelines, and IT operations.

Target Audience

Developers and system administrators who need to automate repetitive technical tasks, schedule batch processes, or integrate systems without relying on cloud-based automation services.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Wexflow for its self-hosted, open-source nature, full control over workflows, extensibility via custom activities, and offline capability, avoiding vendor lock-in while supporting complex automation scenarios.

Overview

Workflow Automation Engine

Use Cases

Best For

Automating file synchronization and transformation pipelines
Scheduling and chaining system tasks with cron or event triggers
Building ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) workflows for data processing
Creating DevOps automation scripts for deployment and monitoring
Integrating APIs and databases with conditional logic and error handling
Designing visual workflows for technical users without coding expertise

Not Ideal For

Organizations requiring BPMN-compliant human workflows with built-in user forms and approvals
Teams seeking a fully managed cloud automation service without self-hosting or infrastructure management
Projects needing deep, out-of-the-box integration with specific cloud platforms like AWS Lambda or Azure Functions
Non-technical users who prefer a no-code, drag-and-drop solution with minimal setup and configuration

Pros & Cons

Pros

Extensive Activity Library

With over 100 built-in activities for file operations, scripting, and networking, Wexflow reduces development time for common automation tasks, as highlighted in the features list.

Cross-Platform Flexibility

Runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, and Docker with a native Android app and web dashboard, ensuring broad compatibility for diverse deployment environments.

Visual Design Interface

The drag-and-drop web designer allows users to build sequential, flowchart, and approval workflows without coding, making it accessible for technical users.

Flexible Trigger System

Supports cron scheduling, file watchers, events, and manual execution, enabling automation based on time, file changes, or external signals.

Extensible via C#

Custom activities can be developed in C# and distributed via NuGet, allowing deep customization for specific automation needs, as noted in the extensibility features.

Cons

Limited Human-Centric Features

The README admits it's not a full BPM suite, lacking native BPMN support, human workflows, or built-in user forms, making it weak for business processes with approvals.

C#-Centric Customization

Custom activities require C# and NuGet packaging, which can alienate developers unfamiliar with the .NET ecosystem or prefer other languages like Python or JavaScript.

Complex Initial Configuration

While Docker eases deployment, setting up workflows, database connections, and triggers involves technical expertise, and the wiki-based documentation may be less structured for quick onboarding.

Ecosystem Lock-in Risk

Heavy reliance on .NET for extensions means teams using other stacks face integration hurdles, potentially requiring additional development effort for cross-language support.

Open Source Alternative To

Wexflow is an open-source alternative to the following products:

Power Automate

Power Automate is a Microsoft cloud service that helps automate workflows across applications and services, enabling robotic process automation (RPA) and business process automation.

Zapier

Zapier is a web automation tool that connects apps and services to automate workflows without coding.

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