In simple English
This tool helps you connect different software systems and automate tasks between them. Governments and non-profit groups use it to manage large data projects and service workflows. You can run it on your own server or use their online service. It is free to use under an open-source licence.
What it is
Lightning is the latest version of the OpenFn platform, built in the Elixir (a programming language for building scalable and reliable web applications) programming language and backed by a PostgreSQL (a free, open-source relational database management system) database. It provides a visual interface for building workflows, monitoring runs, and managing user permissions.
What it is good for
It suits organizations and solo builders who need a robust integration engine to move data between disparate APIs, databases, and third-party services without writing custom orchestration code from scratch.
- Fully open-source with no separate paid enterprise edition.
- Visual workflow builder combined with a command-line interface.
- Built-in monitoring, filtering, and alert configuration for failed runs.
- Requires Docker and PostgreSQL for local setup and hosting.
- Complex Elixir and Erlang environment needed if running outside containers.
- High memory and server configuration requirements for production scaling.
Zapier or custom integration scripts
PostgreSQL
- cybertec-postgresql/pg_timetable1.4k stars
A job scheduler for PostgreSQL whose jobs and schedules live in the database itself.
- PrefectHQ/prefect24k stars
Adds scheduling, retries and a run history to Python functions you already have.
git clone https://github.com/OpenFn/Lightning.git cd Lightning docker compose build && docker compose run --rm web mix ecto.migrate docker compose up