WorkflowForge: The Complete Guide to .NET Workflow Automation
WorkflowForge is a zero-dependency .NET workflow engine. Code-first, compensation built in, microsecond execution. Everything I’ve written about it is linked below.
Getting Started
New to WorkflowForge? Start here.
- WorkflowForge Introduction. What it is, why I built it, and how to install from NuGet.
Performance and Benchmarks
- WorkflowForge 2.0 Benchmarks. BenchmarkDotNet numbers against Workflow Core and Elsa. Execution time and memory, scenario by scenario.
Integrations and Patterns
WorkflowForge paired with scheduling, messaging, and UI.
- WorkflowForge + Coravel. Coravel handles cron scheduling; WorkflowForge runs the workflow and compensates on failure.
- MassTransit Saga + WorkflowForge. MassTransit for messaging, WorkflowForge for saga rollback. Working code, not theory.
- HTMX Dashboard in .NET. Stream workflow status to the browser with HTMX SSE and server-rendered HTML fragments.
Supporting Topics
Tech used alongside WorkflowForge in the posts above.
- Server-Sent Events in ASP.NET Core. The SSE plumbing behind the HTMX dashboard.
- Polly v8 Resilience Patterns. Retry, circuit-break, and timeout within workflow operations.
- Traefik for .NET Docker Services. Run WorkflowForge behind Traefik in Docker.
Comparisons
How WorkflowForge compares to the other .NET workflow engines.
- WorkflowForge vs Elsa. Benchmarks, architecture, API, and when Elsa is the better pick.
- WorkflowForge vs Workflow Core. Performance numbers, maintenance status, compensation differences.
Shipping to Production
- .NET OSS Release Pipeline. The CI/CD behind WorkflowForge releases. SonarCloud, Sigstore signing, CycloneDX SBOM, environment-gated NuGet push.
Resources
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| GitHub | animatlabs/workflow-forge |
| NuGet | WorkflowForge on NuGet |
| Documentation | animatlabs.com/workflow-forge |