Astronomer
Managed Apache Airflow service for orchestrating and monitoring data pipelines in the cloud
Polaris
Lightweight Go workflow orchestrator for payments and fulfillment
Polaris lets Go developers define, store, and execute complex, long‑running workflows with automatic step sequencing, concurrency handling, and built‑in pausing, ideal for payment and e‑commerce processes.
Overview
Overview
Polaris is a Go‑native workflow orchestrator designed for developers building payment, e‑commerce, and fulfillment services. By defining workflows as Go structs, teams can keep business logic close to code while the engine automatically determines execution order, runs independent steps concurrently, and pauses when a step lacks required data.
Capabilities & Deployment
Each step is implemented as a reusable builder that declares its input and output types, enabling shared components such as tokenization or invoice generation across multiple workflows. Polaris runs with a minimal footprint, requires no external services, and can be embedded directly into existing Go applications or deployed as a lightweight microservice. Its GPL‑2.0 license makes the source freely available, while the clear API simplifies testing and integration with external services like databases or third‑party payment gateways.
Highlights
Automatic step sequencing with concurrent execution
Built‑in pause/resume when required data is missing
Reusable builder components for shared logic
Minimal runtime footprint, no external dependencies
Pros
- Lightweight and fast, written in pure Go
- Code‑first workflow definition keeps logic close to source
- Builders can be reused across multiple workflows
- Easy to embed in existing Go services
Considerations
- Limited to Go ecosystem; not language‑agnostic
- GPL‑2.0 license may restrict some commercial use cases
- No visual UI for designing workflows
- Concurrency model requires careful design for complex state
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Fit guide
Great for
- Payment gateway services needing reusable steps
- E‑commerce order fulfillment pipelines
- Microservices that require orchestrated background tasks
- Go teams preferring code‑centric workflow definitions
Not ideal when
- Projects using non‑Go programming languages
- Organizations that require a drag‑and‑drop workflow designer
- Large‑scale distributed orchestration needing external state stores
- Licensing‑sensitive commercial products preferring permissive licenses
How teams use it
Card payment processing
Orchestrates initiation, encryption, tokenization, OTP verification, and invoice generation in a single reusable workflow.
Netbanking payment flow
Handles redirect, bank interaction, OTP verification, and post‑payment invoicing with shared builders.
Invoice generation after payment
Reuses the GenerateInvoice builder across multiple payment methods, ensuring consistent invoicing.
Order fulfillment pipeline
Coordinates inventory check, shipment creation, and notification steps with automatic concurrency where possible.
Tech snapshot
Go100%
Frequently asked questions
Which programming language does Polaris require?
Polaris is implemented in Go and workflows are defined using Go structs and interfaces.
How does the automatic pausing mechanism work?
When a builder cannot find the required input data, the engine pauses the workflow until the data becomes available.
Can builders be shared between different workflows?
Yes, builders are designed to be reusable components that can be referenced in multiple workflow definitions.
Does Polaris provide persistent storage for workflow state?
Polaris itself does not include a persistence layer; state can be stored using external services integrated by the builders.
How is Polaris deployed in an existing system?
It can be embedded as a library within a Go application or run as a lightweight microservice alongside other services.
Project at a glance
Stable- Stars
- 274
- Watchers
- 274
- Forks
- 8
LicenseGPL-2.0
Repo age2 years old
Last commit7 months ago
Primary languageGo
Last synced 3 hours ago