Show HN: The fastest way to run Node code on a schedule
pipedream.com
pipedream.com
When you launch a new product it is tempting to list a laundry list of features that you think can address every potential use case. However, it is often better to have a simple value proposition that every developer can understand, relate to and benefit from.
So, now when people ask me what Pipedream is, my shortcut answer is to say it’s the fastest way to run a script on a schedule. If they engage, I have an opportunity to share all the other integration capabilities, features and benefits.
As always, we think there’s a lot we can improve and are eager for feedback. Also, if you want a specific app or API fully integrated, let us know. You can reach us here or on Github [1], Twitter [2] or Slack [3].
[1] https://github.com/PipedreamHQ/roadmap [2] https://twitter.com/PipedreamHQ [3] https://pipedream.com/community
AWS has the advantage of scalability and integration with their suite of other services.
Your product does have the advantage of simplicity and ease of use – but having to use NodeJS for the logic limits your audience to developers who could relatively easily learn AWS approaches.
How would you position Pipedream against building similar integrations using AWS services?
It's a great question. AWS is incredibly powerful (we use it at Pipedream), but we think Pipedream is better optimized for building workflows and integrations between developer apps and SaaS services. The idea is that we'll save you a lot of time creating and managing these integrations.
We're trying to strike that balance of giving devs the control they need without having to worry about the stuff that shouldn't matter when they're building integrations.
A few ways we differentiate specifically from AWS and other cloud platforms for the integration use case:
- One click "triggers" that enable you to run a workflow on an HTTP request, cron job, or email [1], vs. having to e.g. Terraform a CloudWatch Events schedule or setup an API Gateway / SES email endpoint.
- You can connect third-party accounts within Pipedream and we manage the OAuth flow, giving you programmatic access to your OAuth access tokens. You can manage API keys in the same way [2]. If you've ever had to manage the OAuth authorization flow yourself, storing refresh tokens and generating access tokens, you know how nice it is not to have to manage.
- When you just need to checkpoint the items you've previously processed (common when you're pulling data from an API every few minutes), you don't have to store the data in external state. You can use our built-in checkpoint API to store and retrieve basic state [3].
Also, while you _can_ write Node.js code, you don't have to. Many of our users don't know Node, and exclusively use the actions we've added that abstract common operations [4]. As we add more actions, the tool should be more accessible to "no code" workflows and less technical users.
We'd love if you had a few minutes to sign up and use the tool! If there are things you still like about AWS and want that control in Pipedream, that's exactly the kind of feedback that would help. Send me a note anytime:
dylan [at] pipedream [dot] com
[1] https://docs.pipedream.com/workflows/steps/triggers/
[2] https://docs.pipedream.com/connected-accounts/
[3] https://docs.pipedream.com/workflows/steps/code/#managing-st...