Introducing go-workflow-engine: A Plug-and-Play Workflow Solution

A while ago, I needed a clean workflow orchestration solution for a Go project. Nothing massive—just a simple, reliable way to define steps, track execution, handle failures, and keep business processes organized.

I checked out several existing tools, but many felt too heavy or required infrastructure I didn’t want to introduce. So I built my own.

Today I’m open-sourcing go-workflow-engine!

Why Another Workflow Engine?

• Keep it lightweight and easy to integrate into existing Go apps
• Make persistence modular — no forced database
• Use an event-driven design so your application can react naturally
• Stay flexible instead of locking you into a big platform

The engine is meant to become part of your application, not a separate service.

What a Workflow Looks Like

Workflows are defined in simple JSON. Here’s a minimal example:

{
  "workflow_type": "approval",
  "initial_step": "submit",
  "initial_state": "Pending",
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "submit",
      "title": "Submit Request",
      "actions": [
        {
          "name": "SUBMIT",
          "next_step": "review",
          "new_state": "Submitted"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "review",
      "title": "Review Request",
      "actions": [
        {
          "name": "APPROVE",
          "next_step": "done",
          "new_state": "Approved"
        },
        {
          "name": "REJECT",
          "next_step": "submit",
          "new_state": "Rejected"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "done",
      "title": "Completed",
      "actions": []
    }
  ]
}

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The engine takes care of running the workflow while you focus on your business logic.

Key Design Decisions

Every project is different — some teams use PostgreSQL, others MySQL or even custom storage. That’s why I made the persistence layer fully pluggable.

I also built in a clean event system. Workflows emit events at key moments so your application can listen and respond without tight coupling.

Built with AI-Assisted Development

Gemini, Cursor, and MiMo helped speed up research, experimentation, and coding, so I could focus more on architecture and design.

Current Features

• Simple JSON workflow definitions
• State tracking and orchestration
• Event-driven lifecycle handling
• Modular persistence (in-memory + GORM support)
• Extensible and lightweight
• Easy to embed in existing Go applications

Looking for Feedback

This started as a personal tool to solve a recurring need, but I believe other Go developers might find it useful too.

If you want a lightweight workflow engine that embeds nicely into your app without bringing a full platform along, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Feedback, suggestions, issues, and contributions are all welcome! Feel free to open an issue or PR in the repository.