Inngest vs StackStorm
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Inngest | StackStorm |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,879 | ★ 6,539 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Zapier, AWS Step Functions | Zapier, AWS Systems Manager |
What are Inngest and StackStorm?
Inngest
Inngest is an open-source platform for building event-driven workflows and reliable background jobs. It provides durable step functions, automatic retries and a local development server, and the execution engine can be self-hosted.
- Event-driven background jobs
- Durable step functions
- Local development server
- Self-hostable execution engine
StackStorm
StackStorm is an event-driven automation platform that connects triggers to actions through rules and workflows. It is commonly used for auto-remediation, security responses and continuous deployment.
- Event-driven rules and triggers
- Large pack ecosystem for integrations
- Workflow engine for complex automation
- ChatOps integration
Inngest vs StackStorm: key differences
Inngest is written in Go, while StackStorm is built with Python. Inngest is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for StackStorm. StackStorm is the more established project (first released 2014), while Inngest arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Inngest if…
- Good developer experience
- Reliable step execution
Watch out for
- Some features tied to Inngest Cloud
Choose StackStorm if…
- Powerful for ops automation
- Extensive integration packs
Watch out for
- Heavy multi-component install
Frequently asked questions
Is Inngest or StackStorm better?
Neither is universally better. StackStorm has the larger community, while Inngest is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Inngest and StackStorm free and open-source?
Yes. Inngest is licensed under Apache-2.0 and StackStorm under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Inngest and StackStorm with Docker?
Inngest: yes. StackStorm: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Inngest or StackStorm?
Inngest has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for StackStorm. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.